Teen Talk
Valentine’s Day Alternatives
By Gabi Harris
I think we all can agree there are many different types of people when it comes to Valentines Day. There’s the people who are in love and happy, the people that dread the time of year, and people who just try to make the best out of it. I feel like as a very experienced non-participant in Valentine’s Day, trying to make the day the best for yourself definitely wins over moping around all day. Personally, throughout the years I’ve had pretty enjoyable Valentine’s Days because I try to keep a positive attitude and try to not focus on the fact that I’ll be spending the day without a significant other…again.
Stay at Home Movie
There are so many things to do on Valentine’s Day, and it all really depends on the type of person that you are on the day. If you enjoy watching love movies and torturing yourself (like me), then I would definitely recommend that. There’s nothing like being in the comfort of your own home, away from all of the PDA-filled couples watching Valentine’s Day for the 40th time with a bowl of popcorn and tears. That’s personally how I usually spend February 14th if I don’t have plans for going outside. There’s tons of cute snacks you can also make while you’re not out. I found most of the recipes I’m going to be doing on the big day with my other lonely friends on Pinterest and Buzzfeed as usual.
A really easy recipe to do on Valentines Day would have to be Valentine’s Pretzel Buttons. All you need are: pretzels, Hershey kisses, and M&Ms. It’s pretty easy you align all of the pretzels up on a cookie sheet, place the Hershey kiss on top, bake for 4-5 minutes on 200 degrees, then place the M&M on top. After leaving them to cool, you have a perfect combination of salty and sweet which everyone knows is the best mix. And now you have a snack to watch your movie with!
Going Out
If watching movies is just not your thing, don’t worry some people are just like that. What I did last year on Valentine’s Day was watch a movie with a few of my friends that were also single and it was probably the most fun I had on a Valentines Day. I wasn’t at home looking at pictures of couples kissing over dinner, I was actually out. So, find a movie you’ve been dying to watch, get some friends that also have no plans, and enjoy! It doesn’t have to even be a romantic movie, the movie I watched last year on this day of love was The Lego Movie and it was a great choice.
Be with Friends, Throw a Party!
Whether you’re ‘Anti-Valentines Day’ or not, being with your friends will definitely make the day go by a lot less painfully. You can even make a day out of it! Get gifts, set a price range, as if you all were each others valentines! It’s creative and fun and gives you an excuse to say you have a Valentine this year!
A great gift if you do decide to go to some sort of Valentine’s Day party would be anything from Lush’s Valentines Day collection. There are bath bombs, soaps, shampoos, basically anything you could wish for! Personally, I think it would be a great gift for someone at any V-Day festivity!
Don’t spend this Valentine’s moping or saying you’re “forever alone”. Spend time with friends or catch up on one-on-one with yourself! It only comes once a year, no need to be bitter about the holiday! Enjoy! Have a lovely Valentines Day! XO
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Gabrielle Harris is a senior at Wellington High School. She is involved in the Quidditch team, Key Club, and is the social media and news editor for the WHS Wave school newspaper. She hopes to study mass communications in college and aspires to someday tell her travel stories to the world.