Spoiler alert: since my husband and I were dating, one of our favorite Valentine’s Day traditions is to camp out on the couch in our sweats. We finish our water bottles for the day, share a bowl of popcorn and catch up on “This Is Us”. Romantic, huh? We were never really the kind of people that made a big deal about the more “minor” holidays … until we had kids. That’s when we decided that these holiday traditions would eventually be the things they remember. Enter, Valentine’s Day traditions.
Countdown
In our family, we start “celebrating” Valentine’s Day on February 1st. We start a countdown by hanging a ribbon down the front of each child’s bedroom door, securing it with painter’s tape on the inside of the door. A few years back, I laminated a bunch of hearts. We use a marker to write one thing a day that we love about each girl. We try to be as specific as possible (“I love when you share your toy car with Jack”). Then, we hang a heart on the girls’ ribbons each day, using a clothespin.
They love waking up to their new heart each day. They even convinced us last year to hang a ribbon on our own door so they can add things they love about Mommy and Daddy. It’s definitely a fun way to count down the days until February 14th. Most importantly, it reminds us to notice the little things that we love about one another.
Favorite Valentine’s Day Tradition: Red Rose
My absolute favorite tradition is our red rose tradition. On Valentine’s Day, my husband gives each girl their very own rose. I take a picture of them getting it. It absolutely slays me to think about this tradition years from now when a rose might be getting delivered to a dorm room, an office building or a first home. The girls love this special token of love from Dad and I am so honored to be able to witness it.
Pink Breakfast Tradition
On Valentine’s Day proper, each girl comes down to a pink breakfast with pink pancakes, pink milk and Valentines Day plates and napkins. They each get their own little box of chocolate from us and we eat our special breakfast together. It’s a fun and easy way to celebrate the day before we all head off in different directions.
So even though we never really celebrated Valentine’s Day as a couple, I love celebrating it as a family. I truly believe that it’s the little things that make ordinary days extraordinary. I also believe that the girls will forever be fond of Valentines Day and what it represents to our little family.
Do you have any Valentine’s Day traditions in your family? How do you celebrate V-Day?
