Valentine’s Day. You can try to ignore it, hoping to slide right through it (after all, life isn’t all candy hearts and silly love songs), or you can dive in, wholeheartedly. At Attorney at Work, we stand with Sir Paul: Love isn’t silly at all. So, yep, we’re all in, with a Friday Five filled with sweetheart ideas (and plenty of puns) to get you ready for next weekend.
1. Young at heart. Even if your kids have outgrown the days of SpongeBob SquarePants punch-out cards and Hi-C-fueled class parties, Valentine’s Day is an embarrassment-free zone, sentimentality-wise. So whether your valentine is 3 or 93, go ahead and pile on the silly and the sticky-sweet. Get crafty. (Here are 30 DIY ideas.) Pick out the perfect card. Ladyfingers gets our vote, but Minted has a card collection that will make you wish you were a third-grader again.) And don’t forget the candy!
2. Two tickets to paradise. Even if you can’t whisk your special someone away next weekend, remember anticipation is half the fun — so make some plans, and wrap the itinerary in a red gift box. For some inspiration, the Travel Channel has targeted the most romantic destinations, while The Knot tracked the hottest honeymoon trends — from intimate boat trips to “YOLO” adventures — and National Geographic has pinned down the best romantic hideaways. (There are castles!) Before you go overboard, read this spoil-sport list of the worst romantic hotel fails. (Ugh.) No travel budget? Transport yourself to the Cote d’Azur with Cary Grant and Grace Kelly in “To Catch a Thief,” and pass the popcorn. (“Mr. Grant will see you now!”)
3. Puppy love. If you — like nearly everyone else who watched Super Bowl 2015 — fell ga-ga over “The Lost Puppy” in Budweiser’s commercial, you may be thinking of a puppy (or kitten or parrot) for the love of your life this Valentine’s Day. Good idea? Only if you do it thoughtfully. Remember, puppies are like babies — a lot of work and not everyone wants one. Maybe a stuffed critter is more up your alley? Or a contribution in your valentine’s name to help dogs and cats in crisis.
4. You stay classy out there. Roses by the bunch, a heart-shaped box of chocolates — as long as it’s heartfelt, you can’t go wrong with the classics. That single stem can speak volumes. And as for the iconic heart-shaped box? Even Darth Vader wants in on the action. But if it’s only the best for your valentine, we’d recommend the heart box from Boston’s LA Burdick, champagne truffles from Teuscher, the Amour Box from Recchiuti or Theo’s Aphrodisiac collection. If that doesn’t do it, Mr. Chocolate, Jacques Torres, will cover just about anything in chocolate.
5. Love is all around. It’s awfully easy to become so absorbed in the daily routine that you stop seeing the important stuff around you. If you truly don’t want to miss a thing, perhaps the best thing to do this Valentine’s is “Look Up!” As Gary Turk says in his viral video, why not “Give people your love instead of your like.”
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