By Jewelianna Register
So it’s officially February, which means love is in the air… And the songs on the radio and the sappy Instagram posts and the heart adorned candy isles. Here comes the day that we single people often want to avoid like the plague: Valentine’s Day.
While it is not ideal to be single on a day focused on romance and love, there’s no need to retreat into your dorm and cry while watching “The Notebook.” Instead, try one of these ideas, and choose to celebrate love anyway.
Have a ‘Gal’entine’s day
Ladies celebrating ladies. This is named after all of the ladies, but guys can throw a similar party. The idea of ‘Gal’entine’s is to get together with a group of friends and spend time celebrating friendship. This could be simple, like a night spent at home with pizza, face masks and movies, or it could be fancier. Get dressed up and pig out at a nice restaurant with your favorite people. Just because you are single doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate love – like how much you love your friends! In the words of the fictional character Leslie Knope of “Parks and Recreation,” “‘Gal’entine’s Day is only the single best day of the year.”
Throw an Anti-V-Day party
Instead of sitting inside and moping, host a party for you and the rest of your solo friends. If you’re not wanting to get all dressed in red and eat heart shaped cookies, throw an anti-Valentine’s Day party and do everything opposite of the cupid-focused holiday. Have an attire requirement of all-black, throw up a “love stinks” sign and bake cupcakes with broken hearts on them. You can go all out and make the party as sinister as you want. It’s anti-Valentine’s Day!
Treat yo’self
Instead of sitting around wondering why you are not enough, remind yourself of just how awesome you are. Go ahead and buy that expensive lipstick you’ve been eyeing or those new shoes you’ve been drooling over for months. Take yourself out for a fancy dessert or order your favorite meal in. Send yourself flowers. Just give yourself a break and treat yourself – you deserve it! Valentine’s Day is the perfect time to show yourself just how amazing you are, and you do not need another guy or girl to do that for you; you can do it yourself.
Try something new
The perfect way to avoid being sad on Valentine’s Day is to distract yourself with something fun. Today is the perfect day to try out that new café you read a review about weeks ago, or the ideal time to take a trip to that area you’ve been putting off going to until “the time is right.” There’s no better time than Valentine’s Day to get excited and go on a new adventure.
Host a candy tasting party
All of the best chocolates and desserts seem to come out during the holidays – and Valentine’s Day is no different. Swing by a local bakery and grab some treats on your way home from class and have your friends over for a candy tasting party. You could even get creative and bake some Pinterest inspired desserts and buy fancy chocolates. Invite a few friends over and exchange Valentine cards and watch a comedy. You can never be too sad when you’re surrounded by your best friends and chocolate.
If all else fails, just remember that on Feb. 15 all of the expensive chocolate will be on sale. If that doesn’t make you smile, I’m not sure what will. In all seriousness, you do not have to be in a relationship to celebrate the holiday of love. You can always spend it with your friends making memories. While being single can seem like the worst thing in the world, just remember that it is always better to be alone than to be with the wrong person.
