A reminder to celebrate love - Valentine's Day!

Celebrating Valentine’s Day as a family is a beautiful way to focus on what is important in your family or relationship: love, connection, and feeling appreciated.

While Valentine's Day can easily be written off as commercial nonsense, another way to go is to make it a genuine, fun celebration of love in your life.  In my family, we started years ago to give our children small gifts and cards (often handmade) and to share a special meal or dessert - the kids really love it and now make their own gifts to share with us and each other.

If you’re looking for easy, fun ways to make the day special—without adding
another thing to your to-do list—these ideas are for you.

1. Start With a “Love Notes” Tradition
Few things are as powerful as feeling seen. Each family member can write simple love notes for one another. These can be:
- One sentence (“I love how you make me laugh.”)
- Drawings for younger kids
- A short list of things you appreciate
You can leave the notes at breakfast plates, slip them into backpacks, or read them aloud after dinner. It’s simple, free, and surprisingly meaningful—even for teens who pretend not to care.

2. Make a Heart-Themed Breakfast (or Dessert)
Food has a way of bringing everyone together, and it doesn’t need to be fancy. You could try:
- Heart-shaped pancakes or toast
- Strawberries and whipped cream
- Pink smoothies
- A boxed cake mix decorated with sprinkles

My sister-in-law once added tomato sauce hearts to her kid's pies - anything can work to add simple joy.

3. Plan a Family Game Night With a Twist
Turn Valentine’s Day into a family game night, but add a little love-focused flair:
- Play charades using kind actions or family memories
- Do a “get to know you” game with questions like: what’s your favorite family memory or what makes you feel loved?

4. Create Something Together

Shared creativity builds connection in a way few things can. Set aside time to:

- Make Valentine’s cards for each other
- Paint rocks with kind messages
- Create a family “love collage” using magazine cutouts and drawings
- Decorate cookies together

5. Share a Family Gratitude Moment

Valentine’s Day is a great excuse to pause and say the things we often assume people already know. At dinner or bedtime, go around and have each person share:
- One thing they love about the family
- One thing they appreciate about the person on their right
- One way someone made them feel loved recently
This small ritual can be deeply grounding and often leads to unexpectedly tender moments.

6. Watch a Feel-Good Movie Together
Snuggle up for a family movie night featuring themes of love, friendship, or kindness. Add popcorn, blankets, and a “no phones” rule to keep everyone present.

7. Do a Small Act of Kindness as a Family
Valentine’s Day is also a beautiful time to extend love outward. You could try:
- Making cards for neighbors or grandparents
- Baking something for a friend or teacher
- Donating gently used toys together
- Writing thank-you notes to people who help your family
This helps kids see love as something we give, not just something we receive.

8. End the Day With Connection, Not Chaos
Instead of rushing through bedtime, slow it down:
- Read an extra story
- Say one thing you loved about the day
- Give extra hugs and “I love you”s

Lastly, give yourself some love - light a candle, take a bath, put fresh sheets on your bed. February 14 can add meaning to your life every year as a way to remember that only love is real!