7 Heartwarming Ways to Celebrate Valentine’s Day, From a Personal Perspective

It’s that time of year again. Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, but so is its most important day, the infamous G-Day. I’m talking about Valentine’s Day, a momentous occasion that was cemented into our collective consciousness only 11 years ago when Leslie Knope, the eternal Parks and recreation royalty, Leslie has decided to show her girlfriends some love by hosting an annual Valentine’s Day brunch on February 13th. As expected, she subjects them to her signature shenanigans: everyone is forced to participate in hilarious rounds of storytelling and sharing emotions over waffles and mimosas. While many women have seen fit to celebrate girlfriend love and friendship in place of or in addition to Valentine’s Day long before Leslie existed, the occasion—official name and all—has been celebrated by girls all over the world ever since she invented it.

If you’re looking forward to Valentine’s Day but feel like it’s bound to be a rainy day, what with the pandemic and all, there are are There are plenty of ways to celebrate Valentine’s Day that are socially distanced but still feel cozy. The silver lining to a year of connecting with friends via Zoom is that we’ve gotten the hang of it to the point where online gatherings can be just as joyous and intimate as in-person gatherings. If you’re skeptical, I hear you. But how about some inspiration to get this Valentine’s Day off to a great start? Here are a ton of virtual Valentine’s Day party ideas to get your creative juices flowing and your enthusiasm high, because really, how can you better outshine Valentine’s Day in 2021?

1. Have a theme

I realize themes aren’t for the faint of heart, but consider having one, like gothic G-day (with costumes) or lingerie modeling (!). OrYou could center your party around a shared task, like comparing the pretty cupcakes you made the night before. Or, you could even split the cost of hiring a professional to teach a private class via video conference (i.e. baking, dance, yoga, knitting, etc.). As daunting as it may seem to teach a group class via screen, it’s easier than you think, and it’ll be hilarious, to say the least. Party cooking And Liquid laboratory offer excellent virtual courses.

2. Reclaim the usual tropes

Whether you have a partner or not, you celebrate it. other Valentine’s Day is a time to bring back all those tired, worn-out romantic clichés: I’m talking that little black dress, that bottle of champagne, those red roses, and those heart-shaped boxes of chocolates. You could even order takeout from a fancy restaurant (in advance, of course). You and your girlfriends deserve it, even if some of you celebrate Valentine’s Day the same way. I say, go all out, because what better way to talk about your love life (or lack thereof) than with chocolate, champagne, and your girlfriends? Worst date ever, right?

3. Reading list

Music is the key to any fun celebration. Set the mood by choosing or curating a soundtrack that your friends are sure to love and play it in the background throughout your wedding night. You can choose just girl power artists for fun, you know, like Lizzo, Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Solange, Sza or whatever you have up your sleeve. Or you can base your playlist on songs that have special or sentimental meaning to your friends. You know them best.

Check out Bellesa’s Valentine’s Day mood playlist on Spotify.

4. Brunch

You can make a Valentine’s Day day or night. Consider hosting a traditional Knope Valentine’s Day brunch, complete with a late-morning booze. You can share a waffle recipe with your friends before the big day (don’t forget the whipped cream on top!), and/or plan to make some delicious cocktails ahead of time so that by the time your call starts, you’ll be ready to clink glasses before you feast.

5. Gift exchange

Who says it’s just for Christmas? Why not have a secret gift exchange? You could use an online gift exchange generator to assign each of your friends who they’ll be giving a gift to. Be sure to set a price limit to keep things reasonable. For convenience, everyone can order gifts online and have them delivered directly to each person’s home. The more in advance you do this, the better, of course. Then, over Zoom, you can make a game of guessing who got a gift to whom.

Discover Bellesa bestsellers like the Buzzfeed Pebble, Air by Bellesa, and Diosa by Bellesa to gift your girls! Or get a BBoutique gift card for a foolproof gift everyone will love.

6. Movie night

Choose an appropriate movie (whether it is traditionally aimed at girls Or for dicks) and organize a group viewing session. My favorites of all kinds: Mississippi Masala, The Secretary, BridesmaidsAnd The Brotherhood of Traveling Pants. You can always opt for a horror movie, depending on the mood of the audience. Then you can discuss it, have a drink, and/or move on to one of the other great G-Day ideas on this list.

7. Quiz night

What’s not to love about quiz nights? Personally, the only ones I’ve ever attended were in old-fashioned pubs, but why not have them virtually? Unprecedented anecdote has tons of online quiz options, even Valentine’s Day themed ones! Just saying. Better yet, they can create a quiz event based on the interests of any specific group of friends. In the game, there’s even the option to have smaller groups if you want to collaborate on your answers.

Bottom line: How you celebrate depends on the interests of your own very specific, wonderful, unique group of friends. Make it sexy, make it edgy, make it cheesy. Valentine’s Day is yours, so make it what you want. Oyster night, anyone?

To the happy, original hippie girls all over the world: one love.