Whether you're single, in a relationship, or figuring out an ambiguous quarantine thing, we've got you covered.
37 Socially Distant Valentine's Day Ideas
It’s that time of year again. February is upon us and suddenly the need for Valentine's day ideas that make you feel warm and fuzzy (without being exclusionary or cringe-worthy) feels top-of-mind. In fact, after a year where we’ve been more isolated and lonely than ever, celebrating the ones we love—in a safe and socially distanced way—feels downright urgent. “Valentine’s Day is the one day a year people invest big in their relationships,” says Logan Ury, director of relationship science at Hinge and author of How Not to Die Alone. “Don’t dismiss it as a Hallmark holiday, but take it as a reminder that you should be investing in relationships on this day and throughout the year.”
To help you feel the love this year, we’ve compiled 35 Valentine’s Day ideas to level up your day, whether you’re single, celebrating with your gal pals, quarantined with the same S.O. since last spring, or in an ambiguous quarantine...something. Most of these ideas work solo, or virtually with friends and exactly zero of them involve a restaurant reservation.
1. Do Leslie Knope proud
Leslie Knope, Galentine’s queen, would not see this day through without diner waffles! Channel her energy with your pals, far and wide. Attire: jammies. Venue: your couch. Time: no earlier than noon. Send everyone a cute mail invite with a nip of Baileys for Irish coffee, and gather ingredients to make stacks on stacks of creative waffles. We are all for supporting your local diner too via takeout too, as Leslie would.
Dash Mini Waffle Maker
$18Urban Outfitters2. Break out the massage oil
Microwave some towels, light a few candles, and spring for a new massage oil. (Aesop’s Breathless is a house favorite.)
Breathless Massage Oil
$35Aesop3. Play Top Chef: Aphrodisiac edition
What do oysters, pomegranates, and asparagus have in common? They’re all known aphrodisiacs. Spice up a DIY cooking night with these challenge ingredients sure to get your hormones pumping. Red wine and chocolate also encouraged.
4. Have a ball
Move that couch and try a Bridgerton-stye virtual Ballroom dance class, or try virtual Burlesque class if you’re feeling the Dita Von Teese vibes.
5. Put on a private show
Serve up some lewks as you strut down the hall and celebrate that body-ody (cue Megan Thee Stallion playlist). Looking for some new woman-owned, ethically-made lingerie? Azura Bay curates ethical comfy lingerie from handmade silk or Italian lace. Want to support a BIPOC biz? Check out Beautifully Undressed for some femme frills, or the fierce Blue Reign vegan leather collection.
6. Recreate your first date
Go back to where it all started, and recreate your first date, this time from home. Whether making your first drinks all over, or recreating a sloppy college bar vibe in your home, this is a surefire way to rekindle those initial sparks, laugh about the awkward moments, and see how far you’ve come as a team.
7. Book at DYI pasta class
Meryl Feinstein is a pasta queen and we bow(tie) down. Join her Pasta Social Club, and take a pasta-tively amazing virtual class. You can even book a private lesson.
KitchenAid 3-Piece Pasta Roller
8. Go on a dessert crawl
Plan a route through your town to grab three of the best sweet treats, and perform a formal review with your quarantine podmates.
9. Make your own Valentine's
Send Valentine’s to your 35 closest classmates coworkers, friends or distant cousins. Consider getting a Valentine from your local senior center who you can send a nice card to, or with a Gold Star Family as an American Sweetheart volunteer.
10. Have a fancy hot chocolate
Want to play with your food, and watch it explode? Grab yourself a hot chocolate bomb—the trendy treat taking over TikTok.
Hot Chocolate Bombs
$6.50Etsy11. Heat up some fondue
What pairs well with melting chocolate? Crusty bread and drunk cheese. We found this 1965 fondue recipe that's still bubbly hot today. We gruyerantee you’ll love it.
12. Have a picnic in bed
Padma Lakshmi started this quarantine-perfect trend: make English Afternoon Tea, put on PJs, and put yourself and your tray of delicacies, on top of crisp sheets. Pairs well with Great British Bakeoff episodes.
Wine & Cheese Picnic Basket
13. Go Geocaching
There’s a global treasure hunt, and here’s your invite, brave explorer! Log onto Geocaching and rediscover the same blocks you’ve walked hundreds of times.
14. Hit the ice
Get your glitter leotard out, grab those Bernie Sanders inspired mittens, and glide around your neighborhood rink—easy to social distance while supporting outdoor local businesses.
15. Go stargazing
When the city lights become too bright, find your nearest dark sky site where light pollution maps will guide you to the nearest place for optimal stargazing. Road trip + shooting stars?! Romance abounds.
Portable and Extra-Large Picnic & Outdoor Blanket
$27Amazon16. Take a hike
Reach new heights by scaling a mountain together. Find a local hiking trail and work up a sweat while taking on a challenge.
17. Channel your inner Olympian
Missing the Olympics? Curling is the hottest outdoor trend in colder cities—see if a bar near you has an outdoor lane to book. Think of it like winterized shuffleboard and test your skill.
18. Face a breakup
No guilt, no shame, just love and support. This Valentine's day Heartbreak Anonymous Founder Naz Perez is hosting two open sessions to hold space for the other side of love: heartbreak. This global support group is for those experiencing the emotional distress known as heartbreak. You’ll hear stories from people around the world, and maybe want to share your own in a safe virtual space.
19. Catch a sunrise (or sunset)
Wake up early, drive to the best lookout, and paint with all the colors of the wind. Not a morning person? The sun sets early enough in February for a champagne toast before dinner.
20. Try some tantra
Meditation + touch = a serious intimacy level-up. Bring the ancient art of tantric breathing into the bedroom (no partner required) for a thrilling and restorative evening.
21. Do a dramatic reading
Grab a romance novel and settle in with your partner for a sensual fireside book club. If you’re still hung up on Bridgerton grab the book and maybe get sweaty and reenact that stair scene.
22. Level up movie night
Turn a classic into a drinking game, from Mean Girls to Titanic.
23. Try a new sex toy
If Katie can bring a vibrator on The Bachelor, we can talk about sex toys openly here. Dame and Vush make womxn-focused and accessibility-friendly toys for singles and couples.
Dame Eva II
$135Dame24. Share your fantasies
Chicago-based sex therapist Michelle Herzog, LMFT, CST recommended this exercise: on slips of paper, write anything sexual or intimate that turns you on. Next, drop them into a hat and take turns pulling the slips out and talking them through with your partner. You’ll open up, and get some new ideas to spice up your bedroom routine (or kitchen, or shower…). “There is no pressure to engage in any of these activities, as it's simply a way to encourage sexual communication,” Herzog says.
25. Touch each other
Do you know all of your partner’s curves and edges? This intimacy exercise is designed to encourage erotic playfulness, Herzog says. Lay naked facing each other and explore each other’s bodies using your hands, playing with movement, speed and pressure. “Make sure to set the mood by turning off devices, setting optimal lighting and discussing beforehand which parts of the body are off limits,” she says.
26. Write some erotica
Write your own erotica based on your personal experiences, or your deepest fantasies. Read to a partner, sext a consenting Tinder match, or publish if you dare. This could be your “Fifty Shades” moment.
27. Play sommelier
Just shy of stomping grapes in the tub, you can get close to vineyards from your couch. The Sonoma County Vintners have this handy list of wines you can order direct to home. On date night, you can create your own tasting notes (with coaching from this Wine Folly blog).
Smartest Wine Delivery Subscription: Bright Cellars
Started by two wine-loving MIT grads, Bright Cellars uses a special algorithm to score wines based on how 18 different attributes match your preferences. In other words: It finds your wine soul mate. Unlike with dating apps, though, only one of the 12 wines that Bright Cellars samples makes it into your monthly collection, which means the app weeds out all the left swipes for you.$60Bright Cellars28. Take a cuddling class
Think you’re the perfect spoon? You can book a virtual session with a certified cuddlist (it’s a thing) to learn some new positions from a professional trained in this form of intimacy therapy.
29. Rent-a-spa
We all deserve a deep soak. See if there’s a local hot tub spa rentable by the hour, or filter AirBnBs with hot tubs for a quick getaway.
30. Play True American
New Girl’s roommates invented this floor-is-lava athletic feat that Jess describes as “50% drinking game, 50% life size Candy Land.” Subsequent seasons featured a strip version, just sayin’.
31. Watch good porn
Reframe the role porn plays in your sex lives with these ethically-produced, women’s focused content sites. Fake orgasms are cancelled.
32. Learn some new moves
Whether you’re shaking up the routine as part of a fertility journey, or getting too comfortable with a quarantine friend-with-benefits, we believe you’re never too old or too inexperienced to learn new tricks. Try one of these 47 sex positions to shake things up.
33. Have an intimate conversation
Communication is the make-or-break of many relationships. Start a different kind of conversation with a Best Self card deck on intimacy (produced by a woman-founded company that donates to Feeding America with every purchase), or channel some Brene Brown with the Courage over Comfort pack.
34. Tap your inner artist
If you liked finger painting, you’ll probably like naked rolling on a canvas covered in paint. As featured on The Bachelorette, Tayshia and Zac made beautiful art—and found a deeper connection. You can pick up a kit at Love and Paint. Reviews describe the experience as “soul bonding” and the bodypaint is dermatologist-approved.
35. Make your own puzzle
Send your favorite cute or silly pic to your local pharmacy’s photoshop, and get a custom-printed puzzle in 24 hours. Put it together, shellac and frame it!
36. Have a boudoir photoshoot
Set up a boudoir photoshoot and celebrate your body. Find a COVID-safe photographer or grab a camera and a tripod.
37. Get deep
The “36 Questions That Lead to Love”, published in 2015, remains one of the best conversational road maps out there to build deeper connections—whether romantic or with your platonic soulmates.
This story originally appeared on: Glamour - Author:Stefanie Groner
