Holidays in the pandemic: causing us both joy at something different to celebrate and anxiety at the amount of work it will take to do so. Is there any chance Valentine’s Day can be different?

We know we aren’t alone in our pandemic exhaustion. Yet, here we are with another holiday around the corner, meaning we have to take extra time to consider how we plan to celebrate it, especially if hopping on a plane to show up in person is no longer an option.

If you already know what you plan to get or do this year, be sure to take advantage of our Valentine’s Day discounts and coupon codes to ease the burden on your budget. For everyone else who’s struggling to figure out how to make this Valentine’s feel more special than strange, here are a few ideas.

For The Valentines Who Are Apart

If you’re not living with or poding up with your valentine this year, it’s going to require some extra creativity to make a date or at least to deliver something special. Some ideas:

Make a playlist – Back in the days before Apple and Spotify, people made mix tapes for each other. It was a sign of how much you liked someone to take the time to create a musical selection with their listening preferences in mind. Make one for your sweetie and maybe even plan a Facetime session where you can enjoy it together.

Cook together – What is more romantic than cooking together? Sure, you might be in separate spaces, maybe even separate states but that doesn’t mean you can’t share time cooking. Or give the gift of an elegant cooking utensil, along with doing an online cooking class at the same time via Sur La Table.

Catch a sunrise or sunset – virtually – How about capturing the sunrise or sunset with each other? The beauty of this idea isn’t just in the event itself, though Mother Nature rarely disappoints, but in the planning. Pick one that fits both schedules and then admire the view together.

Send a care package – Go ahead and load up on the Valentine tried and true favorites – chocolate, wine, and cheese and have it delivered it to your valentine. Of course, we are big fans of the gift baskets too, where you can simply choose from your favorite options and rest assured that the best items have already been carefully selected.

Let’s be clear – most of us would prefer to spend Valentine’s in-person with the ones we love. But if that’s not possible, then these ideas can go along way towards creating a special memory. Even better – these aren’t just for lovers – use any of the above ideas to celebrate Galentines too!

How will you celebrate this year? Share your ideas with us on Twitter or Facebook!