by: Nora Scarbro

With Valentine’s Day quickly approaching, you might be wondering how best to celebrate it. The number one way to start your Valentine’s Day with your partner is by asking them to be your valentine. But if you’re stuck, here are some ideas. 

The easiest but traditionally thoughtful route is flowers and a personal gift. A popular gift right now are Jellycats. They are small stuffed animals with a very wide selection, making it very easy to find the perfect one for your partner. 

The point of asking your partner to be your valentine is to make your partner feel seen. You can’t just stop at the gift. Flowers are a simple and personal way to show your love. Store made bouquets can be very beautiful, but they are not personal. Making your own bouquet is a lot easier than you think, and is a quick way to make your partner feel special.   

One way to go about making a bouquet that’s easy and cost effective is through Flowerman in Centerville. You can buy three bunches of flowers to mix and match for twelve dollars. The shop has a diversity of flowers, allowing you to be as creative as you would like with the bouquet.

However, bouquets don’t have to be flowers. “I made them a little Pokemon bouquet!” Bellbrook senior Remy Conwell said.  

Another cute way to ask your partner to be your valentine is through a handmade gift. For example, personalized scrapbooks can be made from thrifted photo albums, printed photos from Snapfish, and craft supplies like stickers or ribbon. Or even something as simple as a handwritten letter can make your valentine feel special. 

After you’ve asked your partner to be your valentine, it’s time to actually celebrate the holiday. Valentine’s Day should be a day where both you and your partner do something special and enjoy each other’s company. So talk to your partner and figure out what plan would be the most fun for you.  

Consider pottery painting at Outside The Box in Bellbrook. It’s a small business with a really inviting atmosphere. If you have never painted pottery, that is completely okay. The employees are very helpful. They also offer pottery making classes, but those are by appointment.

The Dayton Art Institute is another amazing option for a fun and unique Valentines celebration. It is $5 for students and $15 for adults. It is located near the heart of Dayton, offering a lot of options for food or shopping after. The museum is roughly 10 minutes from Val’s Bakery which is a bakery and coffee shop, if that is something that would interest you or your partner. 

Near Val’s is The Neon, a small movie theater owned and run by locals. This movie theater makes its own dirty sodas and plays movies not available everywhere. Tickets are reasonably priced, so if you or your partner are enjoy high-qualtiy movies, this is an amazing option. 

But Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to be a big event to be special. For married couples, life can get very busy very fast especially those with kids. “We have done just little family time, you know, watched movies and make good home meals,” Bellbrook teacher Ashley Beaty said. To Beaty, it’s the connection that counts. “He’s my best friend. We just hangout and enjoy each other’s presence,” Beaty said. 

Valentine’s Day isn’t just for couples. It is for friends, too. Galentine’s Day, a valentine celebration with friends, is now part of valentines culture. And just because it’s called Galentine’s Day doesn’t necessarily mean it’s only for girls. One traditional way to celebrate Galentine’s is to have a party with friends.

But, if you’re stuck on a theme here are some ways to celebrate! 

Craft nights are really easy to pull together and create a fun environment for everyone. Some possible crafts are paper portraits of each other or yourself. This is where you cut out different colored pieces of paper and assemble the pieces into a portrait. Another option is cake decorating of hand-made or store-bought cakes. 

But if you and your friends are not the type for crafts, movie nights are an amazing option. Some movie options for friends are: 10 Things I Hate About You, The Princess Diaries, and Barbie. 

You could also add an extra layer of fun to a movie night by making it a charcuterie board themed movie night. This is when every guest brings their own charcuterie board or ingredient to share with the group. These can be themed per person or just an assortment of food everyone likes.