5 Ways to Celebrate Love on Vday (without a man)

At age 24, I had my first serious relationship with a man that earned a lot of money (I mean a lot).  For my birthday (which is Feb 5th), he spoiled me like no man had ever before.  He gifted me with my very first Louis Vuitton bag, a pair of expensive boots, a lobster dinner with an ocean view and $2500 cash. I swear, you couldn’t tell me nothing.  I thought I had arrived...to the level of courtship that I had always dreamed of.  Royal treatment at its best.

Little did I know, come Valentine’s day, I wouldn’t hear from him or see him for 3 days.  It was All-Star weekend in Los Angeles that year, and supposedly he was “hosting” some “very important” people.  What that taught me, is that V-day was just another day, at least to the person I loved at the time.  Perfect birthday, epic Valentine's day fail.

From that point on, I took Valentine’s Day in my own hands.  I started to CELEBRATE LOVE with the people I LOVED, excluding a significant other.

If you are reading this, and you are super single, and feel yourself getting down the closer you get to Valentine’s day, try some of the below ideas that I began to do after my V-day disaster.

  1. Love on your #1 man (your dad):  My father became my Valentine for the past decade or so. Given that he was often single, too; we would exchange gifts, and a card and he would do the same for me and my daughters.  This was my time to buy him some up-to-date cologne and a button down shirt in preparation for his future dates (with fingers crossed). Guess what, this also works on God-fathers, brothers, uncles, cousins, and guy-bff. Whoever your #1 man is...enjoy some time together.
  2. Love on your family:  I once treated my mother to a very fancy dinner for Vday, something I know she hadn’t experienced in a while. She loved it too until she saw the bill and fussed the rest of the day, saying we could have gone to a buffet instead (smh).
  3. Love on your friends:  Have a girl’s night out, or a girl’s night in, either or.  With a few glasses of wine and the company of your closest single girlfriends, I doubt if you will be down in the dumps for long. These, by far, were some of the most FUN Vdays I’ve had.
  4. Love on your kids:  I know my daughters miss this because it’s been a while, but the three of us would get all cute dressed in our red and pink, and would either go out to dinner or I would make their favorite meal and dessert at home.  I would present them with a card and a note that told them one unique thing that I loved about them the most, and of course a gift bag filled with all their favorite girly things (lip gloss, bath and body, nail polish, fashion jewelry, etc.).
  5. Love on yourself:  Go get a massage, spend the day at the spa, go shopping, get a makeover at Mac or Sephora, buy you a new bag.  Then, top the evening off with a nice bubble bath, a glass of wine, popcorn and your favorite romance movie or novel. (Loving myself was my ultimate favorite!)

Bonus:  Love on your co-workers:  V-day falls on a weekday this year. Why not make some fresh baked goods to have at your desk, buy some cupcakes for your team and/or staff, or a jar full of popular candies for others to share.  While everyone is focused on receiving, YOU focus on giving.

The biggest take away is that there are several ways you can CELEBRATE LOVE and it doesn’t necessarily have to be with a man.  I love LOVE and if you are reading this, you probably do, too.  The more you celebrate love, the more you will love, the more you will become and attract LOVE.

Enjoy this Vday, celebrate LOVE!

XOXO,

Em