We’re doing this early, so you don’t have any excuses…here’s how to have an amazing, if not the best, Valentines Day this year. This show contains references from YourTango.com. You can see these resources and leave comments, questions, complaints at relationspodcast.com/111.
By the end of this episode:
- Reigniting Passion
- Making Valentines Day the Best This Year
- Playful Ways to Spend Time With Your Valentine
Describe the problem
…Hallmark holiday or not, Valentine’s Day is still a day many people recognize as a time to tell someone just how much you care. Here are a few tips to make this day special if it’s your jam.
Segment #1
- Start With Your Valentine’s Love Language – If you aren’t already familiar with Gary Chapman’s “The Five Love Languages” –words of affirmation, acts of service, physical touch, quality time and gifts. (For your relationship’s sake, put this book on the top of your reading list.) For now, to take a good guess at what your partner’s love language is, ask yourself two questions: one: what have I done that really makes my love happy? Two: what do they complain about either not receiving from me or from their past partners? These two questions will give you insight as to what their primary and potentially secondary love languages are. Now anchor your Valentine’s gift around what matters most to them by incorporating their love language.
- VDay Idea! – Communicate Differently – Have dinner together, put the cell phones away and have a conversation. However, use a foreign dialect and have fun with it. You can be the Natasha to his Boris and or even the Catherine to his William. Anything goes when you’re having a good time.
- Go Back to the Beginning – Sometimes we forget why we fell in love with our partner in the first place. So why not try and recreate the feelings you had when you first started dating? Get him a gift that reminds you of your very first date, or write an inside joke that you used to share on your Valentine’s card. It will bring back those butterflies from when you were first falling in love.
- VDay Idea! Swing – No — you’re still staying with your partner! Visit a local kid’s playground and go on the swings. Make sure you take in the sensation of the wind against your face. Then take the feeling of playfulness home with you and enjoy the rest of your evening.
Segment #2
- Find Your Phermones create a personalized adventure for your love. Make a fun gift certificate and wrap it up. Include a mysterious title which gives a hint of what the adventure will entail, describe the following on the certificate: attire (what should they be wearing on this adventure or should they bring a variety of outfits?), preparation (what do they need to do to get ready for it?) and timeframe (does the adventure have specific dates and/or time of day?) A personalized adventure may center around pampering, eating, physical activities, a favorite book or movie, or pretending your international spies by doing some geocaching.
- VD Idea! – Two-Step All too often, you forget about dancing unless you’re invited to a special event like a wedding. Since no one’s watching, put some music on and let the good vibes take you over. Dance to whatever music makes you and your partner comfortable.
- Be Creative And Original – Do, create or give your Valentine something they have never done or received before to ensure a memory to last a lifetime. This means forget the roses and chocolates, unless they are an accessory to a grander gift. Put your creative hat on and without being too specific, inquire with your love about their preferences to different ideas by asking good open-ended questions. Places to go to spur your creativity: local event calendars, concierges at your local hotels, online coupon companies like Groupon, Gilt or Goldstar, and fun online newsletters like UrbanDaddy will always offer inspiration. Think about their hobbies or something they have mentioned wanting to do; maybe it’s flying, stunt car driving or cooking lessons.
Final Thoughts:
#1 Appeal To Their Personal Tastes “It’s the thought that counts,” is never an excuse to be cheap but a declaration to spend more time analyzing what matters most to the recipient. Creating a memorable experience doesn’t always need to involve spending a lot of money, just know what your partner values before making a purchase. By paying attention to what is happening in their life at the moment you will be able to play to their specific needs, wants and desires.
- Elijah’s Thoughts
- Sarah’s Thoughts
In Closing
If you have a question, comment, or funny story about [INSERT SHOW TOPIC] we have a private SafeSpace on facebook where we talk about all sorts of social, professional, and romantic relationship topics, and after every show you can go there and share you story, get some advice from great people or just hang out. Both Sarah and I are there every day and you can be there too, just go to www.relationspodcast.com/join and click the “Join Now’ button.
Until we meet again, keep striving to make every relationship you have the best it can possibly be, including (and especially) the one with yourself. We’ll talk soon.
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