Tips for a Sweet and Safe Valentine’s Day Celebration
by Lora Reynolds, Staff Writer
An advantage of celebrating Valentine’s Day during a pandemic is that you can cuddle up at home and not feel pressured to have a romantic dinner in an acclaimed restaurant. The disadvantage is that you’ve been cuddling up at home for almost a year and would give anything for any kind of dinner in any kind of restaurant, right?
Make Valentine’s Day special this year by staying home and staging a romantic setting that will separate this night from every other night. Here are some ideas:
- Light a fire in your fireplace or patio fire pit and drink champagne
- Create craft cocktails or mocktails to serve with appetizers
- Have a virtual happy hour with friends or family
- Choose a movie to watch at home and coordinate your meal to reflect the movie setting (“Moonstruck” and pasta or “Charade” with beef bourguignon)
- Order take-out or delivery from your favorite restaurant
- Eat in the dining room instead of the kitchen and set the table with the “good” china, crystal and silverware
- Play romantic background music while dining by candlelight
- Prepare or buy a fancy dessert
- Fill a vase with a bouquet of fresh flowers
- Have a picnic on your family room floor
- Prepare breakfast foods and eat dinner your pajamas
- Indulge in some friendly competition with video games, board games or card games
- Sign up for an online class you can watch together
- Perform YouTube karaoke
One tradition that has not changed for 2021 is the popularity of Valentine’s Day chocolates. According to a candy industry survey, close to 70 percent of respondents are either giving chocolate or hoping to receive chocolate as a Valentine’s Day gift. The top-rated choice is the heart-shaped box of assorted chocolates, of course.