Valentine’s Day is characterized as the epitome of romance. But if you’re in a relationship, you shouldn’t need to wait for a significant day to show your love and appreciation for the special girl in your life. That’s what Valentine’s Day is truly about: showing your love — not the candy or the bigger-than-life teddy bears, no matter how funny it is to watch those small girls carry them around. Everyday with your girlfriend can be like Valentine’s Day if you have never-ending love and creative ideas. Here are some ideas to show her how special she is every day of the year.
1. Make a regular date with her. It’s easy to let the load of work and classes fill your time and keep you from seeing her. If you don’t plan it, you won’t be seeing each other. Try to work some time into your daily schedule, during your lunch break or between classes, to give her a call just to say hey.
2. Do random acts of cuteness. It doesn’t take much — just the little things. For instance, if you know your girlfriend has a new favorite song, secretly download it to her iPod. If you know her favorite movie, surprise her with a night to watch it. Buy a special edition of her favorite book and leave a copy of it on her desk for her to find. Or, if you have pictures of you and her together or with friends on your camera’s memory card, print a few and put them in frames. These little acts of kindness will show that you truly care.
3. Surprise her with breakfast in bed. Isn’t it wonderful to be at an upscale hotel or quaint bed-and-breakfast where they serve your morning coffee from a silver carafe with a huge breakfast spread? You can do the same thing at home. Surprise her with breakfast or her favorite meal for dinner.
4. Give her a note. When your girl is getting ready in the morning, surprise her with a note attached to her mirror wishing her a good day.
5. Give her roses. Roses are timeless, sophisticated and classic. But it doesn’t have to be Feb. 14 to give them to her. Surprise her yourself or send them to her job. And make them unique, they don’t have to be red. Choose colors she likes.
6. Give her favors for a year. Create a coupon book full of things you know she’ll love. You can plan different things for each month of the year. Examples of these are a night out to the movies, a back rub, or shopping.
7. Take her on a picnic. Don’t worry if you don’t have the funds to take her to an expensive restaurant. Get a basket and fill it with all her favorite foods. It doesn’t have to be fancy. Bring a light dinner and some of her favorite candies, then pick a place outdoors and enjoy a nighttime getaway dinner.
8. Celebrate special moments. Make a list of the special days on the calendar that you celebrate together, such as the day you met, your anniversary, or even the anniversary of your first kiss. On these days make a point to spend some quality time together. Cook for her or make a card. Do something to let her know that you didn’t forget the small, special moments in your relationship.
9. Make kiss coupons. Remove all the paper strips that say “kisses” from a couple hundred Hershey’s Kisses and put them in a jewelry box. Wrap the jewelry box and present it to her with a certificate explaining that the slips are coupons redeemable for one kiss each.
10. Write out your feelings. Write her a love letter or poem, glue it to a thin piece of cardboard and cut it up to create puzzle pieces. Then mail them to her, a puzzle piece a day.
It’s the little things like this that can make the biggest difference. The most important thing is to say, “I love you.” These three little words really mean the most. If you take the time to show your girlfriend that you really appreciate her, then happiness and everything that Valentine’s Day stands for can be felt 365 days a year.
