Love, Exclusively at The Grande Dame

V-Day celebration ideas for newlyweds, couples with kids, and retirees

Woo her with fine wine, Ecuadorian flowers, and a helicopter ride over Manila Bay before sunset

Who says V-day is just about cheesy starry-eyed lovers, chocolates, and flowers? Valentine’s Day is about celebrating the strongest force in the world, be it between couples, or parents and their children or even between grandparents and their grand kids. And it doesn’t even have to be just one day, you can celebrate this beautiful occasion the entire love month.

Here’s how you can join the celebration if you’re a new wife, a mom, or a granny.

For Newlyweds

Yes you’ve tied the knot and while you should be planning your finances, getting over the shocking discoveries you’re starting to make about your spouse, and getting geared up to build your family these don’t mean the romance should stop. Reality check, this could be your first V-Day as a married couple and could be your last without children. You might have this last chance to celebrate this time before the little critters start coming.

To celebrate this time you can:

1. Go on a romantic and exciting

escapade together. Stop worrying about the finances for a little while and just pack your bags and go somewhere romantic. Try something exciting like skydiving (which you might not have the guts to do when you become a parent. The thought of having little ones depending on you is an adventure killer). This could be your last chance to experience traveling together without worrying about childcare and dirty diapers so go for it. 2. Start a new V-day tradition. You can for example vow to visit your first ever date place at around this time each year. It will be your annual renewal of vows of some sorts. You will inevitably go through a rough patch at some point in your marriage but having this vow will force you to get back to the feelings you had when you started. Even amidst all the disagreements it will remind you of how and why you two chose to be together in the first place.

For Couples with Kids

Ah the joys of being a parent. You know just when things are heating up and you and your main squeeze are about to go at it, there’ll be a little wrestler who’ll scream and jump at you both at just the right time to kill the vibe. Especially for couples with small children, they say they’re the best, most natural birth control. So how do you go around celebrating romance with tiny tots? Make them part of the celebration!

To celebrate this time you can:

1. Get crafty with the kids and have a movie date night at home. Make V-day decorations you can hang around the family room/area. Cut and piece together little pink or red hearts. Introduce cupid to the kids while you’re working on your project. When you’re done decorating the place you can have a family movie night as a family. Snuggle up to your fave family movie and just enjoy your time together. Serve ‘love potion’ which is basically just some fancy name for strawberry juice or shake.

Extra tip: Instead of movies let your kids watch your wedding videos (if they’re not old enough to cringe).

2. Have a V-day scavenger hunt in and around the house with your kids. Prepare heart shaped treats and items (like flowers) or love notes with messages for your kids. Scatter them in and around the house. Prepare a map with directions on how to get to the clues. The final prize could be one ginormous heart shaped cookie, or a box of chocolates you and your kids can enjoy.

For Retirees

If you have a partner you must have had so many V-day celebrations you can look back on. Celebrate V-day by considering each year a milestone. It takes a special kind of bond for the relationship to last ‘till your twilight years.

For couples you can:

1. Make a scrapbook cum album with all the mementos about your relationship you have kept through

the years. You can ask your children or grandchildren for help in printing lyrics of songs and photos. They can also help produce a CD with all your favorite songs you can listen to together while going through the album.

For those on their own:

1. Spend the day with your grandchildren! Celebrate the day by baking heart shaped treats. Make cookies or cupcakes you can decorate with heart shaped candy sprinkles. Little tots love getting messy in the kitchen so enjoy the moment and let them dig their hands into the dough, or help mix ingredients. More than just producing V-day goodies it’s about the experience and memories you make with them.

2. Spread the love. Remind your children how much you love them by sending them a note with reasons why you love him/her and why you are lucky to have him/her as your child. You’ll only have this time of the year to be cheesy so go for it! You can also pick flowers from your garden, attach notes and send them out to your friends. If you have the time and energy attach an invitation to the flowers to a V-day tea party. Gather all your single retiree friends and celebrate love month together.