Your Love Coach

7 Days Of Valentine

Though the whole world is still reeling from the collapse of world economy, Valentine’s Day continues to be the most lucrative day for merchants far and wide.However, this year, splurging just on the one day seems extravagant and quite, shall we say, predictable.  Instead, why not give it some thought?  Think about how you can stretch the undeniable romantic climax that is Valentine’s Day?Here are a couple of suggestions:

1. For starters, consider starting surprising your significant other 3 days before Valentine’s Day, and end it 3 days after the day!  By this I simply mean, do something for your loved one for 7 days, which does not culminate on the 14th of February, as they might expect.  Draw up a list: things they enjoy eating, doing, listening to, etc.  Pick 7 of them and prioritize according to the either difficulty or value of the gift.  Obviously, you’d like the best pressy to be given out on the 14th.  So ring fence that particular gift, and work on the other 6.  Simple, isn’t it?
2. Or you can start a semi-grand gesture on Heart’s Day, then continue the saccharine sweetness fest for another 6 days.  The thought is very similar to the first idea.
3. Avoid crowds on the 14th!  I don’t see anything romantic with getting stuck in traffic trying to get to the restaurant, or having to wait for your meal at the restaurant for several hours before you can get to dessert.  A better idea would be to go to a B&B the day before, so that when you wake up in the morning, you are both refreshed and ready to start your romantic day together - cycling, hiking, or picnicking somewhere secluded.  Whatever you do, just make sure you go far from the beaten track.
4. Be original.  Sure, flowers and chocolates represent the day of romance.  But I bet you, if you put your mind to it, you can come up with something a little more unique than Hallmark or a box of bon-bons.  Why not create a lovely A3 (or bigger) framed black and white photo of the two of you?  It’s timeless.  Or you can have something printed on a boxed canvas.  You can use a photo taken from a while back, a photo that brings back a lot of wonderful memories - or commission someone on the day to take the photo.  Or you can even go to a studio on Valentine’s Day.  Make sure you book an appointment in advance.
5. Similar to number 4, though not quite, buy a videocam as a present for your loved one.  Tell them that you’d like to capture moving images of your love for each other.  Yes, you can get very creative about this, but may I suggest including something wholesome and fun?  Like film yourselves while you cook together, or doing the crossword puzzle.  There are many things you can do with a digital camera.  Go wild!

I hope that these few ideas will spark the romantic streak in you.  So get to it!