Vegan, Minimalist, Zero Waste Valentine’s Day

Paul and I celebrated Valentine’s day together in the traditional way the first year we were together (13 years ago now!). We got each other cards, I got a rose and we dressed up and went out for dinner at a nice French restaurant. It wasn’t a good experience, we were packed in, the food was below par and above our budget and on the walk home we both agreed that the picnic we’d had on the living room floor the Sunday before had been much more enjoyable. 

We also believe that it is important to remember to tell and show each other that we love each other all year round. Over the years we have created our own family Valentine’s celebrations that include adults and children.

Here are some suggestions from our family to yours:

1. We celebrate the Sunday before (unless it’s on a Sunday) so we’re not rushing around in the morning trying to force ‘fun’. Sunday is naturally a slower day for us so that’s when we choose to celebrate. I use the word celebrate in the loosest sense, as it’s mostly an excuse for chocolate buttons or heart-shaped biscuits! Now we have two little people to celebrate with we make the biscuits every year, using this recipe.

2. We make each other cards but never, ever buy them. They are crazy expensive and filled with words neither of us would ever use.

3. If we fancy using the day as an excuse to buy a ‘treat’ then Paul will get us some vegan chocolate buttons from the bulk food shop (if you want to make it a bit fancier you could pop it into a small jar and make a cute label and/or wrap a ribbon around it) or we make something sweet with the children involved (they usually request ice cream).

4. We don’t go out for a meal, but I will cook a big tea that includes everyone’s favourites. Sausages and chocolate cake are always requested, other things requested this year include corn on the cob and blueberries! We all dress up smart (including the children) and we have a family Valentine’s, it’s the best!

5. I cut out different coloured hearts from leftover craft paper and we sit down with the children and write down all the names of the people we love and on the back why we love them. This is such a sweet little tradition and helps remind the children what a big support network they have. I then use the hearts to decorate the middle of the table for the big fancy Valentine’s meal we have.

6. Make a “52 reasons why I love you” jar. I made one of these for Paul about eight years ago now, I got the idea from Pinterest and really enjoyed making it. To make it more zero waste I used leftover scraps of paper from projects at work so they were all multicoloured+, but I thought this actually added to the effect. I also didn’t buy a new jar but used an old jam jar and tied the little label on with some twine. 

How do you like to celebrate Valentine’s Day, do you also love to get the whole family involved?

Whatever you do, do it with love,

Livvy and Summer