Valentine’s Day (Sharing Love Can Be Simple)

Every holiday provides the opportunity to take a break from our day to day, pausing to enjoy our loved ones. Even if that pause is as small as a meal together that lasts a little longer than usual, or a decoration that goes up in the house for a short window, I think it’s worth doing.

Over the years, I have found a number of relatively simple, easy and inexpensive ways to celebrate with my family, turning these holiday moments into unique and lasting memories. This recent Valentine’s Day was a great example of how a few, thoughtful ideas, executed with only a little extra time (and some extra love), made for a special day.

First, I printed a simple “10 lovely Things About ____” template that I turned into a placemat for breakfast. Filling out the paper was a great practice in reflection and a chance to remind myself all the things I truly love about my boys. Then, instead of the typical microwavable pancakes that my son has grown to adore, i made a fresh batch and cut them into heart shapes (how could you not!). And, since our little man has a passion for donuts, this seemed like the perfect morning to surprise him with one of his new favorites - chocolate with sprinkles! Again, not a big lift by any means, but when combined, we sat down to a breakfast that was special and a little different from all the other days.

On top of food, which you know is a go to love language in our house, I adore decorating Samuel’s playroom - whether it’s hearts strung across his shelf or changing out his visible book collection aligned to a holiday theme, small decorations and adjustments to every day spaces send a warm signal and add a fun little flavor to our household.

Lastly, I absolutely had to order these adorable Valentine’s Day cards from Etsy. They were a huge hit with his classmates and I had countless moms approach me to share how much their children enjoyed our version of Buzz Lightyear. Just the other day, Samuel was walking by the mantle in our living room and remarked, “those cards are really cute,” as he complimented himself. This kid is too much!

Whether it’s an elevated meal, a unique place setting, a minor decoration or personalized Valentine’s Day cards, these are all simple examples of how you can maximize holidays as a moment to take a quick “timeout,” share appreciation, and capture little memories that can make a big difference over the course of a lifetime.