With Valentine’s Day coming up, this is the perfect time to celebrate friendship and joy. There are many fun things to do this Feb. 14 to make your Valentine’s Day special with a good group of friends. From cozy nights to giving back to the community, there are many ways to spread Valentine’s spirit this month. Here are some fun ways to celebrate the holiday and make it special this year.
Movie Night
A movie night with friends is perfect for Valentine’s Day. Snuggling up with blankets, pillows and pajamas while laughing or crying to a heartfelt film might be exactly what you need to celebrate. Movies about love and friendship spark joy and security around friends. To make it fun, you can make a snack bar with popcorn, candy, chocolate and fun drinks to make it feel like the movie theater. Setting the mood with decorations or fairy lights can set the ambiance and tone for the night. You could go for a romantic comedy film like “10 Things I Hate About You” or the film coming out Feb. 14., “Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy,” to stay in the romantic side of Valentine’s Day. You could also celebrate Galentines and go for a friendship-based film, like “The Sisterhood of The Traveling Pants” or “Aquamarine,” to celebrate the bonds between your friends.
Volunteering together
A great way to spread love all over this Valentine’s Day would be to spread the love to others and give joy to other communities. To get a good group of friends and do something for others would bring you joy to be helping and spreading happiness to others can spread the spirit of the holiday all around. Visiting a nursing home like Parkshore or writing letters of love to a shelter like St. Anne’s Place in Minneapolis can bring smiles and love to many people that you may not even realize. Getting a group of friends together and taking the time to do something for others is one of the best ways to give back this Valentine’s.
Café Hopping
Valentine’s Day is all about celebrating love, so a great way to celebrate the loving spirit with friends is to go on little café dates with each other. There are great cafés all around Park to be enjoyed with a friend and have delicious eats and refreshing drinks. One of the first stops on your route to different cafes would be Angel Food Bakery, in the Texa Tonka shopping center. You can find something sweet and cozy with a wide variety of tasty donuts, coffee and beverages. Another great stop is Honey and Rye, located on Excelsior Blvd. With a menu stacked with sweet pastries including monkey bread and cookies, along with savory sandwiches and quiches, you can find anything to suit your taste buds at this warm and welcoming bakery and café.
Baking Party
Valentine’s Day is one of the most themed holidays of the year, and baking can be a fun way to celebrate and spread the spirit of Valentine’s Day. With a group of friends, making pastries and baked goods that represent different themes of Valentine’s Day is not only fun with friends but delicious and eye-appealing. Some great recipe options could be a chocolate raspberry cake if you were feeling more fancy, or you and your friends could go simple and make some cookies with pink or red frosting. Anything topped with sprinkles or fruit will make your baked goods more festive and fun. Great recipes online can be found on the Betty Crocker website, or CakeWhiz. You can also find great box mixes for cakes, cookies, brownies and more from Betty Crocker at stores like Target.
Crafting Party
Lastly, a great way to spend Valentine’s Day with friends is to show each other what your friendship means through Valentine’s and handmade crafts. A great craft would be making Valentine’s for friends or loved ones. Cutting out hearts and writing compliments to each other can spread the spirit and joy to everyone around, and it’s a creative way to have fun this Valentine’s. Heartfelt letters written by hand and decorated could also be a great way to show love and appreciation to friends and thank them for how they show up in your life. Getting together and sharing the holiday with words of love and handmade Valentine’s for everyone is a special way to honor and love everyone this holiday.
