Today is Valentine’s Day and this ‘holiday’ mostly revolves around showing your undying love to your romantic partner. Stores and online retailers go overboard with romantic cards, candies, chocolates and flower shops make a killing during this time. While I surely believe in showering your partner with all the love in the world. After all I am a hopeless romantic myself. And just an FYI if you want to keep that spark going in your relationship check out my long lasting love tips here. But you can do so much more to celebrate love on this day. What about all the people out there that don’t have anybody to share this ‘holiday’ with? This could be your often forgotten family member, a distant friend, an older neighbor or perhaps even a stranger you see every day on your way to work. Today I wanted to give you some ideas on how you can show love to others on Valentine’s Day.

Loneliness can be a hard thing to deal with for many people. Oftentimes Valentine’s Day can be just another sad reminder. Do you ever stop and think about how many people out there may not have someone to share this day with? This may not be an epidemic but loneliness can definitely affect your overall health and bring on depression. I recently read an interesting article that talks about how more needs to be done to address this issue. And I wholeheartedly agree. So many people go through life alone, perhaps because they lost their partner or live far away from family members. You too can do your part to bring some more happiness to those who need it and show love to others.

How To Show Love To Others On Valentine’s Day!

Spend Time With A Distant Relative

It’s hard to keep in touch with all your relatives especially the ones that live far away. This is definitely understandable as we are all very busy with life, kids and careers. But when was the last time you thought about that family member who you haven’t seen for a long time and haven’t kept in touch. Why not schedule some much overdue time with them over a coffee or a walk in the park.

If they live too far away the least you can do is to phone them up. I’m sure they will appreciate you taking the time to catch up with them. And what a better time than Valentine’s Day to show them that you do care and remember them. Your visit or a phone call could be the only nice thing they will experience not just on Valentine’s Day but perhaps in a long time. Surely this is worth taking some time out of your busy schedule.

Check In On Your Elderly Neighbor

Do you know all your neighbors? I definitely do not, as I live in a big building. Sometimes I wonder if that person I see occasionally has somebody that helps to take care of them. Do they even have someone to talk to every day? Perhaps you see someone like this where you live or even know a neighbor that lives alone. Why not spark up a conversation with them the next time you see them and ask them if they’ll like to join you for a coffee or a tea?

You could also drop by their place and bring them some flowers or a box of chocolates and say ‘Happy Valentine’s Day’. Or you can simply say you were thinking of them and wanted to stop by and bring them something special. Be very polite and wish them a great day as you make your exit. If they feel so inclined they might invite you in or ask you to go for a coffee. Leave it up to them, as not to be too aggressive especially if this person is someone you don’t know very well. You don’t want them to get the wrong idea.

If you think showing up on your neighbor’s doorstep is too forward you could just leave a nice card for them under their door or in their mailbox. Let them know it’s from you so they don’t feel uneasy by the surprising gesture. This could be the only sweet thing they have received from anyone in a while and it could make their day.

Take A Single Friend Out

Whether you’re spending Valentine’s Day with your loved one or not you could make plans to spend time with your single friends. Make a date with one or more of your single friends to hang out and catch up. Some single people can get annoyed by all the Valentine’s Day related activities being advertised everywhere and may start to resent the ‘holiday’. By spending time with them you can remind them that this day is not just for couples. It can also be a day to enjoy time with friends.

Let them pick the activity you both can enjoy. It could be a coffee date, lunch, and movie after work, some drinks at their favorite hang out or just staying in to chat at either of your places. It doesn’t really matter what you end up doing, it’s the fact you’re taking time to be with them that matters. Sometimes when you get into a relationship your friends may feel left out. Let them know that even though you’re attached and it’s Valentine’s Day you can also make time to still hang out with your friends.

Throw A Party

If you’re not normally very interested in celebrating Valentine’s Day as a romantic holiday why not throw a party for everybody? You can invite your single friends and your coupled up friends to all get to know each other. Most of the time we have a variety of friends who may not know each other. You could have your work friends, your childhood friends or some more recent friends you just started spending time with. What a better way for all of them to meet up than a fun party.

And as a bonus all your single friends that may feel left out on Valentine’s Day now have somewhere to go and a chance to partake in some fun activities. This is a fantastic opportunity to show love to others on Valentine’s Day and celebrate together. And you never know one of your single friends can find love at your festive party. If that happens, you’ll get brownie points!

Visit With Your Mom And Dad

As we get older the time we spend with our parents gets shorter and shorter. I admit I’m guilty of this as well. Since I moved away I’ve been making a conscious effort to spend time with my mom. We used to go to all kinds of events together. I bought concert tickets and we would go to the movies all the time. But lately and definitely since I started blogging I’ve been spending less time with my mom. So I’m making an effort to remedy that this year as one of my New Year’s resolutions.

I still buy cards for my mom for Valentine’s Day especially since I know sometimes my dad forgets to do so. It’s so important to ensure your parents know how much you care about them even as you get older. Perhaps this year, instead of a romantic dinner you and your partner can visit with the parents. Or you can always drop by before your own celebration. I can guarantee your parents will appreciate it a whole lot. Valentine’s Day doesn’t necessarily need to revolve around couple time but you can show love to others in many different ways.

Have A Girl’s Night Out

Are you tired of coming up with ideas what to do with your partner on Valentine’s Day? Well, how about going out with your lady friends instead? This might actually get your partner ‘off the hook’ in terms of planning something grand for V-Day. You can still have a small celebration together and exchange a card, small gift or have breakfast in bed. Leave the party time for your girlfriends.

What a better ‘excuse’ to get together and have some fun. Hey the guys can get together while the ladies are out and have a ‘bro bonding time’ too. It’s a win-win situation if you ask me. You don’t have to be pressured to celebrate Valentine’s Day in a big way ever year. There’s always next year to plan something extra special. This day should be celebrated as a way to show love to others and not just your romantic partner. At least that’s what I think.

I hope I’ve given you some great ideas for this year’s Valentine’s Day. Whether you’re in a romantic relationship or not there’s many ways you can show love to others on this day and throughout the year. I believe if everybody did his or her little part in showing love, the world would be a much happier and kinder place. You could put a smile on somebody’s face and make his or her day with very little effort but a big-hearted gesture.

What do you think of my ideas? What are your plans this Valentine’s Day? Share with me in the comments below. Let’s show love to others this Valentine’s Day! Remember to sign up for our newsletter to never miss a post, get some awesome freebies and get dibs on future contests.

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