A Dozen Ways to Celebrate Valentine’s Day with Your Family

Are you freaking out yet on what to do for your spouse or someone close to you for Valentine’s Day? There can be a lot of thought put into making Valentine’s Day special, but what about if you have kids, should you do anything special for them? The simple answer is yes but I will be honest, I do not typically do a great job thinking about making Valentines’ Day special for my four children. Thankfully, I have a wonderful wife who is great about including them and doing something special to show them how much we love and appreciate them. What I have learned (particularly from watching my wife in action) is that you do not have to feel overwhelmed when it comes to finding ways to include them and have some fun in process. Here are a dozen easy ways to show your love for your entire family.

  1. Celebrate with a heart-shaped breakfast. Whether you make heart-shaped pancakes or eat heart-shaped cereal, find a unique way to display your love during a family breakfast! Decorate what you make by using colored chocolate chips, sprinkles, chocolate syrup, or strawberries as toppings for your yummy breakfast!
  2. Do donuts. Another fun way to include kids in the celebration of love in the morning is to buy donuts late from your local donut shop the night before and serve them first thing. Choose something heart-shaped and leave a little note for each family member so that they see the donut first thing when they wake up and walk into the kitchen. They will love biting into a fresh (near-fresh) pastry!
  3. Find a functional gift. Kindergarten and Sunday school teachers are experts at this. Whether it is creating a handprint from plaster to use as a paperweight in the office for daddy or a mug for mommy with one of your child’s first signatures scrawled across it, functional gifts are an awesome way to show your love for your spouse and include your children while doing it.
  4. Choose a set of something. When you have more than one child, it can be tricky to figure out what kind of thing to get for mommy or daddy, but it does not have to be. Think about something that you can choose a set of, and the set can include the same number of kids as you have.  For example, if you have four kids, choose a set of four grilling tools that your husband could enjoy or a set of four kitchen utensils if your wife enjoys cooking.
  5. In school surprise. If your kids’ school allows it and you know it would not embarrass them, consider sending flowers or chocolate to your kids. Sign it from you and your spouse and tell your child something special about him or her that makes you proud of them. They will love getting a token of your love at school.
  6. After school surprise. It may not be doable to send something to your kids at school, but you could have something for them when they are picked up or dropped off after school.  Have Dad get the gift if Mom picks up kids or vice versa, so that you can include the whole family in the fun.  Surprise your child with the gift as he or she gets into the car or off the bus!
  7. Design your fun based on the day. This year Valentine’s Day falls on a Sunday, so the options for celebrating may be different than when the day falls during the week. Think about how you would like to celebrate with your family based on what you can realistically do that day. Consider doing lunch out as a family after church or a Netflix movie later that night, something fun and light.
  8. Share your love in words. Whether you choose to write a card, a letter, draw a picture, or design a craft, use words to show specific things that you love about each member of your family. Expressing words are a wonderful way to point out how important your family is to you, and they will never go out of style.
  9. Keep celebrating even when your kids get too old. We are never really too old for love are we? You should keep celebrating with your children even if they are older, married and have children of their own.  You could send them gift cards. Send stickers and notes to your nieces, nephews, and grandchildren. Your family is never too old or too young to receive a special Valentine!
  10. Capitalize on a good deal. Are there good deals on steaks or fish at the local supermarket? Consider a favorite dish or dishes for your family and make it!
  11. Use small stuff. The dollar store has tons of small and cheap gifts that you can group together and give to your kids.  Have your children choose something that they think your spouse would like and have them wrap it! You can then choose your gift for your kids too—have your spouse wrap it.  Do not be afraid to use small stuff—it is not always so important exactly what you are giving but rather that you were thinking of the other person(s).
  12. How do we love? Redirect the “what am I getting” mentality to a “why do I love others” mentality by asking your kids why they love their mother, father, brother, sister, grandparent, etc. Talk about it around the kitchen table.  Consider ordering or purchasing a dessert that the whole family can share and with each bite a family member takes, that person shares something that they love about another family member.

Whether you do something practical, playful, or yummy, there are plenty of simple and fun ways to include your whole family in your Valentine’s celebration!  I would love to hear your stories of how you included your whole family this year.   Thank you for your continued support and encouragement for my weekly blog. I hope it continues to inspire you and bring you great encouragement as we seek to live a life that is truly worth living.

Happy Valentines,

Doug Hedrick

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