I remember as a child eagerly looking forward to the handmade Valentine's Day cards my classmates would craft and share with one another, and as a teen/young adult I would get a handful from the kids I coached or babysat. I've still kept a handful of them in a memento box, because the thought and care put into them were truly touching.
I still enjoy receiving handmade Valentine's Day gifts, but there's nothing like a Valentine's Day card, even from a dear friend or loved one. For those who are in need of cheap Valentine's Day ideas, why not make a card your partner will want to keep forever? Here are some ideas:
... or if you don't have time to make a card, you can always print one off for free:
If you're anything like me, you'll be spending Sunday night curled up with a good movie, book, and/or soundtrack and making something delectable to eat. I'll talk about what sort of romantic foods to delve into another day, but today - let's talk about what to read, watch and listen to.
Romantic Films
Romantic Books & Poetry
Romantic Music
How important is Valentine's Day to you? The answer to that might determine if you're morose about being alone or happy about celebrating Valentine's Day single.
But what if instead, those who are still single/single again amongst us, decided to claim Valentine's Day as our own? As a day to celebrate love in all of its forms, including most importantly the ability to love oneself - no matter how we feel about February 14th?
So say instead of looking at the cheap Valentine's Day ideas that I've written from the perspective as a person part of a couple, you look at the suggestions instead as a single person pampering themselves like no one else can. Maybe all you want to do is curl up with a good book and a mug of cold beer - why not take advantage, avoid the Valentine's Day crowd, and plan for it? Or maybe being social is more your thing - so why not throw a Valentine's Day costume party for all of your single friends?
Are you single this Valentine's Day? What do you plan on doing, if anything?
When I was in the later stages of school, there was a painful list that circulated amongst my peers: the hottest girl list. I sadly never made the list, and although most of the folks who both created it and were on it are now on my Facebook page, I couldn't imagine ever posting it on Facebook - even many years later.
Fast forward a decade (or two) and the hottest kid in class list has morphed to a hook up list: a list of people that you want to get with (depending on your definition of a hook up) with a timeline as to when and where, as well as dates/places as to where the deed(s) occured. The first thought that crossed my mind when I heard of hook up lists was: should anyone ever get a hold of such a list and do something, er, unsavory with it? Mortifying.
And yet, this is exactly what happened somewhere in small town America a few weeks ago according to Nerve.com. (Warning here folks: most of the graphic language has been blanked out, but the link might still be offensive to more sensitive readers).
In a nutshell, there are two siblings in this story: Katie and Chris. Chris was busted via his sister for having alcohol in his room and was grounded for three months. In retaliation, Chris rifled through Katie's things, found her hook up list, posted it to Facebook, and then tagged all of the gents in the list. (For those who don't use Facebook, you can post an image or note on Facebook, and then attach people's names/user names to the item so that it appears in their timeline and for their friends to see).
I don't agree with what young Chris did by any means; the damage done by this sort of behavior can't be undone. But I do think, even with the possibility that someone might find it, that hook up lists are an important part of growing up - as well as staying safe sexually. Why? Because by keeping a hook up list, not only are we detailing our crushes and dreams in journal-like form, but we're keeping track of our partners, irregardless of whether or not penetrative intercourse took place. And if someone is engaging in some sort of sexual contact with more than one partner at a time, this kind of list could prove invaluable should an STD be the outcome of said adventures.
But what do you think? Are hook up lists important, icky, or something in between? Did/do you have a hook up list? Why or why not?
Related: Safe Sex 'Passport', How To Talk About Safe Oral Sex, Before You Have Sex.
