Crush on Anti-Valentine’s Day
Ah, Valentine’s Day – the day some of us love to hate. The heart-shaped paraphernalia, stuffed teddy bears, cliché roses, and social media feeds full of couples sharing in their undulated love, all for 24 hours a year. Can you really say you’re in love with someone if you don’t shower them with adoration on 14 February? (Spoiler: yes, you can).
If you’ve had enough of this commercially-driven nonsense, just know you are not alone. Why must the couples have all the fun right? Or maybe you are even in a happy, committed relationship, but don’t understand why your appreciation for your significant other has to be limited to a mass outpouring on one day. If you’re looking for a great alternative to Valentine’s Day, we’d like to introduce you to a new celebration on the block: Anti Valentine’s Day.
It’s a humorous day that gives people an alternative to Valentine’s Day celebrations. While some celebrate it on 14th February, others prefer to celebrate on 15th February.
So what can you do this Anti-Valentine’s Day? We’ve put together a few ideas if you aren’t too keen on the OTT soppiness:
Donate to charity
Rather than spending insane amounts of money on flowers, chocolates, gifts, and an overpriced dinner, you could donate that money to charity instead. You don’t need to spend your money on gifts to show someone that you love them. Instead, tell them that you love them and take the money you would have used on a present or meal, and donate it to a charity of your choice through the Toucan app.
Love yourself
It might sound really cheesy, but trust us, it’s important. Spend some time taking care of yourself – whether that’s on 14th February or not. All too often, we don’t put in enough effort when it comes to making ourselves feel loved and spoiled, so Valentine’s Day is the perfect excuse to do exactly that.
Spread the love
Just because you’re anti-Valentine’s Day doesn’t mean you can’t spread the love to those around you. Call family or a friend you haven’t seen or spoken to in a while, just because you can. Think about people you know who might be alone or show a little kindness to a stranger. Love can take many forms – why should romantic love have a monopoly on the 14th February?
Volunteer
Spend some time with people who are really in need of some help or love. It could be at an elderly home or serving meals at a soup kitchen. Not only will your services be appreciated, but you’ll come away feeling great at the end of the day. If you need some more ideas of where to start, why not check out our Voluntine’s day blog [insert link for V02].
Head to an Anti-Valentine’s event
Believe it or not, Anti-Valentine’s Day is really starting to catch on, with events arranged for those against the hype of 14th February. From themed cocktail nights to comedy nights sharing cringe-worthy dating fails, these events have it all.
You can either go big or stick fairly small without giving in to the holiday craze, but if you aren’t feeling like jumping on the love train, or want to show a different form of love this year, you can still make 14th February a day to remember.
