By Claire Leibowitz, Media and Relations Manager
Valentine’s Day can feel like a holiday reserved for couples, which can even be stressful and isolating to be surrounded by pink and red hearts, teddy bears and chocolates without a significant other to share everything with.
But, Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to be centered around your sweetheart. It’s the perfect time to appreciate friends by showing how much you love and care.
This holiday, if lovey-dovey stuff stresses you out, put an emphasis on your friends to connect and celebrate your relationship!
Make Valentines Together
If art is your calling (or even if it isn’t), there’s nothing better than a hand-written note to remind someone of your love. Make your own heart-shaped cards, grab your pink and red markers and scavenge CVS for glitter.
Host your friends to do it together! Everyone can share supplies or bring their own. Make a cheese board, craft a music queue and turn it into a bonding event. At the end, everyone can exchange what they made, and you can all cherish (or laugh) at the result.
Secret Cupid
Secret Santa is a great way to bring the group together and exchange gifts without breaking the bank, which makes it a great event to bring into Valentine’s Day. Everyone gets a gift and budgets are easily adjustable. Cap it at whatever you want and find gifts that show your secret cupid you care. Purchase face, hair or lip masks, toss in some chocolates and (again!) hand-write a special valentine! If you don’t create wish lists, it’s a great way to get your friend something that makes you think of them! Make sure it’s anonymous, almost like a secret admirer.
Cookie Decorating
To steal another Christmas activity, bake heart-shaped cookies and have a decorating party! This is an easy, fun and inexpensive (though messy) way to get together and have fun. Buy premade sugar cookie dough and roll it out. You can DIY cookie cutters by cutting heart shapes with a knife or you can just decorate typical sugar cookies. Red, pink and white frosting are easy to come by and you can easily dress them up with pink and red sparkly sprinkles.
Host a Rom-Com Marathon
The plethora of romantic comedy movies on every streaming service is overwhelming. Have your friends pick their favorites or, if you’re indecisive, randomly generate a list beforehand. Bring sweet snacks, dress in pink pajamas and make it cozy. It’s an easy and relaxing way to spend some time with friends. For some inspiration, my favorites include: How to Lose A Guy in 10 Days, Clueless, The 10 Things I Hate About You, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Love Actually or The Proposal
Book Club
If movies aren’t your thing, read a romance book as a group. Although they’re a little sappy, a little cheesy and a little predictable, they’re always fun, especially to experience with friends. Cringe at the bad moments, over-analyze the characters and critique the predictability of the endings. For some inspiration, I love “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo,” by Taylor Jenkins Reid, “Verity,” by Colleen Hoover, “People We Meet on Vacation,” by Emily Henry or “The Hating Game” by Sally Thorne.
Dinner
There are two ways to go about this – host an elaborate potluck where everyone brings a dish, drink or dessert, or hit up the restaurant you’ve been meaning to try together.
A potluck is a great way to put in some work with friends. If everyone commits and carries through with a dish, the outcome is great. Delegate appetizers, entrées, desserts and drinks (either cocktails or mocktails!) and make a plan. This is a great way to casually celebrate each other in a more elevated way.
D.C. has great restaurants, too. Dress up and try somewhere new! Don’t just stick to Foggy Bottom, Georgetown or Dupont Circle. Logan Circle, Capitol Hill, Navy Yard and more have exciting choices to make your festivities even more special. To name a few top restaurants, try Doi Moi, Takoda, L’Ardente, Fiola or Obelisk.
Brunch
It’s well-known that D.C. has great brunch spots. Once again, finally go to that place you and your friends have always wanted to try. Don’t let homework get in the way of your girl time this weekend. Try out 801, The Fainting Goat, Boqueria, Busboys and Poets, or The Unconventional Diner.
Turn Valentine’s Day into your favorite holiday to celebrate the people you love. You can make it as big or as small as you want, but get in the spirit and let your friends know how much you care about them. Landing smack in the center of midterms, the holiday is a great reminder to cherish your relationships, especially the platonic ones.
