Valentine’s Day is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate and spend time with your significant other. St. Valentine was a third-century saint who, it is said, defied the Roman emperor by performing Christian marriages when it was not allowed by law. He was martyred on February 14, hence the day in honor of his name. While the holiday has come to be known simply as a day of romance, when we celebrate it as Catholics, we can not only ask for the intercession of St. Valentine but also seek to honor relationships and marriage as he did.
One way to do this is by spending quality time with your significant other, investing in your relationship. Most of my dating relationship with my husband took place during the pandemic, so we had a lot of time to develop creative ways to build our relationship.
Here are a few that are fun to try out when you’re looking for something new to do.
Blackout poetry
You can do this simple activity during a cozy night in or out at a restaurant. Simply bring a few pages of a newspaper or an old book along with some permanent markers. Both of you will go through the page and circle words that stand out to you. After you’ve gone through the whole page, take the marker and blackout everything except the circled words. What remains is your poem. Take turns reading them to each other, and repeat!
A bike for two
Want to grow in your communication skills and also be active? Try renting a tandem bike! You can often find these for hire at parks or a regular bike shop. It’s more difficult than you think to pedal together — perhaps a good metaphor for marriage!
A new church
More than once on a date, my husband and I have visited churches we had never been to before. Look up Mass or adoration times, and go there with your significant other. It can be extra special to check out a liturgy or church that is a different rite than you usually attend. My husband and I have loved visiting Ukrainian Catholic liturgies, high Latin Masses, and Coptic Catholic services. Often the artwork in these churches is stunning and makes for great conversation starters after Mass and prayer.
Couple’s surprise picnic
This one has been a favorite! Drive to the closest grocery store, then wave goodbye to your significant other. Each of you will search for three items — snacks, drinks, or meal items — that are unique. It’s good to have a budget in mind (my husband and I stick to $15). Buy your items without showing them to each other. Head to a local park or, if it’s cold out, your favorite blanket on the living room floor. Take turns wearing blindfolds and guessing by taste what food the other person bought. Whoever wins gets to order the actual meal for the night.
“To love another person is to see the face of God.”
— Victor Hugo
Grow in love this Valentine’s Day
These are just a few ways you can creatively celebrate Valentine’s Day. Investing time in your relationship is key because pursuing each other is part of our call to accompany the other to heaven. As the novelist Victor Hugo wrote: “To love another person is to see the face of God.” Thus, we can encounter God by intentionally and authentically pursuing the other. May your celebration of Valentine’s Day help you to grow in love and better encounter the beauty and joy of God’s plan for marriage.
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