source: jmscottIMD
While some people demand or expect certain things on Valentine’s Day, I’ve never really looked at it that way. For us, it’s always just been an extra special day to celebrate our love.
You see, Sean and I started dating just weeks before my 17th birthday and broke up later that same summer. Over the months that followed, we spent time just focusing on our friendship and fell in love in the process. On Valentine’s Day in 2000, he surprised me with a dinner cruise around the Inner Harbor in Baltimore, MD, and we were officially back together (and the rest, as they say, is history in the making!).
These days, Valentine’s Day might just mean a quiet dinner after the girls go to bed, some shared chocolate and a small gift, but it’s a sweet reminder to take time to really appreciate each other.
This Valentine’s Day, take some time to show the people around you that you love them. Here are 87 ideas to get you started, and I’d love to hear what else you’d add to the list!
To Your Kids
- Touch them.
- Hug them.
- Spend time with them.
- Sing to them.
- Tell them.
- Play with them.
- Get down to their eye level.
- Read to them.
- Praise them.
- Volunteer in their class.
- Affirm them.
- Make them a cute snack.
- Foster their faith.
- Tickle them.
- Write them a letter.
- Take them on a kid date.
- Invest in them.
- Look them in the eye when they talk.
- Cuddle with them.
To Your Wife
- Tell her.
- Talk to her.
- Sit with her.
- Shop with her.
- Take a walk with her.
- Hug her.
- Compliment her.
- Give her flowers.
- Do a chore for her.
- Cook for her.
- Make her breakfast in bed.
- Take a cup of coffee to her in the morning.
- Buy her a card.
- Write her a note.
- Do a chore around the house that has been ignored for a long time.
- Take care of the kids so she can go do something she likes.
- Call her for no other reason but to say I love you.
- Write her a poem.
- Take her on a date.
- Kiss her.
- Update her wedding ring.
- Surprise her with a special gift (it doesn’t have to be expensive!)
- Listen to her.
- Hold her hand.
To Your Husband
- Drop everything to focus on him.
- Change 1 thing about you that bugs him.
- Go to a sporting event with him.
- Cook for him.
- Tell him.
- Show genuine interest in something that matters to him.
- Hug him.
- Compliment him.
- Do a chore for him.
- Take him to his favorite restaurant.
- Make him breakfast in bed.
- Take a cup of coffee to him in the morning.
- Make him a card.
- Make an “I Love My Husband” book.
- Compliment him in front of others.
- Get his car washed.
- Let him sleep in on the weekend.
- Spend time with him.
- Give him a foot massage.
- Honor and respect him.
- Listen to him.
- Hide love notes in his pockets.
Teachers
- Write them a thank you note.
- Organize an appreciation lunch.
- Buy something they need for the classroom.
- Tell them.
- Volunteer in the classroom.
- Give them a gift card or other practical gift.
Friends
- Show them you appreciate them.
- Call an old friend just to say hi.
- Check in on them when they are going through a rough time.
- Listen to them.
- Send them a card.
- Offer to babysit so they can have a date night.
- Invite them to coffee.
Strangers
- Pay it forward.
- Perform a random act of kindness.
- Load a busy mom’s groceries into her car.
- Follow the golden rule.
- Compliment them.
- Give a sincere smile.
- Volunteer at a soup kitchen.
- Sponsor a child.
- Provide clean water for a community.
What else would you add to this list?
