January flew away and February is the shortest month of the year. It has only been a month since the end of last holidays’ rampant consumerism and, in a few days, it will arrive the so often mentioned day of love. Needless to say how silly can seem to celebrate St. Valentin Day, but nevertheless, the idea of having a day to celebrate love is not intrinsically bad.

We can all agree that St. Valentin is a marketing strategy and of course is not worth having a bad day just because you are single. However, if you have a partner or you are just in love, why wouldn’t you make of next Monday 14^th of February a special day for you and your loved one? To me it sounds like a nice excuse, do it just for the shake of taking the time to prepare dinner together or going out to enjoy a special activity on these cold winter days when life can get a bit too monotonous.

So then, instead of complaining and roll your eyes just by the idea of this celebration, here is a small summary of different ideas to enjoy this day while not harming the planet and putting a bit aside consumerism. Besides, if you just happen to not to be in love, you could prepare something with a friend or with your family, they also love you! Moreover, if you are not feeling social at all, remember that you are also worth of your own love!

1.Baking. Bake something nice during the afternoon to enjoy it at night. Maybe while watching a movie or playing a game. It can be sweet or salty, I assure you that no matter the result, you will be satisfied with it if you put a bit of heart in the process.

2.Camping or book a hotel nearby. Go camping somewhere not so far if the weather let you, or just book a hotel room for the weekend! Some camping destinations in Belgium count with little cabins to keep you warmer in the winter, but if you don’t want to risk it there are a lot of nice hotels to spend a cosy night. You don’t need to celebrate it only the 14^th! You can make it a weekend getaway.

3.Museums. Love is art and this is the perfect occasion to check on your local museums. If you do a bit research, you may even find some museums where you have never been. Sometimes small museums are really a joyful experience. Think about your partner, what are they interested in?

4. Restaurants. Who doesn’t like to go out for a nice meal and forget about all the hassle of preparing it? Find Gent fair trade hotspots and have sustainable meal, the planet and its people also can use some love!

5. Fair Trade chocolate. If you are really feeling traditional or your beloved is crazy about chocolate, you can buy a nice selection of chocolates to share.

6. Living plants instead of flowers! Even though the beauty of the flowers is highly connected to their ephemeral quality, the beauty of a plant in its pot is that it will last longer. Besides, you can decorate the pot, your Valentines will remember the nice memories that you made together!

Those are just a few ideas on how to plan a nice day with your beloved one or ones. There are plenty of other possibilities of celebrating this day without wasting or without being cheesy, unless you want to! Get creative, think about what would the other person enjoy to do. Maybe it is also a good day to try your partners hobbies or to make a master class about yours. Take the chance to make special that Monday and enjoy yourselves!