Five Ways to Enjoy This Valentine's Day at Home

Don’t let COVID-19 keep you from enjoying your Valentine’s Day celebration this year – alone (self care = love), with family, or with a loved one. This year, use a little extra imagination, planning, and preparation to make it an incredible and safe day of happiness. Here are five ways you can make the day extra special in the comfort and safety of your own Ideal home.

1. Take an online cooking class – Great for individuals, couples, or even entire families, online cooking classes make it possible to learn something new, have a great time together, bond with each other and then have something delicious to eat once you’re through . . . plus (Major bonus!) a terrific dish to add to your repertoire for future meals. You can even arrange for other friends to join the fun from the safety of their homes by signing up to take the same class. There are a variety of online cooking classes to choose from: Cozymeal; MasterClass (featuring Gordon Ramsay); The Great Courses Plus; and Sur La Table, among others. Some, like The Great Courses, offer the first class for free, while Sur La Table classes start at $29, no matter how many people are in your kitchen during the class, and their courses cover everything from a prep packet, complete with a shopping list you can download ahead of time, to plating tips.
2. Enjoy a favorite meal from a restaurant in a far-away city – Many iconic and beloved restaurants across the USA have started offering meal kits that can be shipped nationwide. These consist of packaged, pre-portioned food items that can be sent directly to your front door. In many cases, such as with pizzas and desserts, the food arrives already assembled and only requires you to heat or bake it prior to enjoying.  Taking advantage of meal kit opportunities means you can enjoy everything from a fresh signature seafood bucket from Topsail Steamer in North Carolina, to Reuben sandwiches from Katz Delicatessen in New York City, and steaks from acclaimed steakhouses like Elmo’s in Indianapolis. Just know that delivery time may take longer than you’re used to, so these delicacies aren’t something you want to order at the last minute. Learn about some of the delicious options available to you at The Daily Meal and at Goldbelly.
3. Hold a Movie Marathon – Watching movies at home is nothing new but setting up an entire day and/or evening movie marathon is something special. For a special Valentine marathon you can pull together all those movies you’ve wanted to see but haven’t had a chance to view just yet or you can re-watch several of your all-time favorites. You can go with a theme (love stories, comedies, horror flicks, etc.) or just make it a point to see whatever you most enjoy watching. For help in determining your selections, check out this list of love stories perfect for Valentine’s Day viewing. For the best marathon experience, make sure you’ve got plenty of your most beloved drinks and snacks on hand. And remember, while there may be plenty of times when you want to watch your expenses and/or calories, this isn’t one of them. Splurge is the word of the day.
4. Arrange a Game Night – This is another great option for a couple, the entire family or you can even arrange for others to join you via Zoom. When playing virtually with those outside your home, if you want to raise the stakes—and the excitement—you can include prizes for winners that can be sent via email, like gift certificates from Uber Eats, Sugarwish or Grubhub. Naturally, everyone playing can contribute to the winner’s pot either ahead of time or via a source like Paypal. When playing virtually, game options include online games like Scattergories, Trivia To Go, and Jeopardy, among others. When you’re playing with those who are in the same location as you, you can obviously go old school and pull out one or more board games, a deck of cards, or enjoy a rousing game of charades that you make up on the spot.
5. Set Up an Indoor Picnic – While picnics held outdoors allow you to enjoy the sunshine, fresh air and environments you don’t necessarily see every day, picnics held indoors preclude the need for hiking or worrying about the chance for rain. For an indoor picnic in your home you can spread out on the floor using a soft comforter, couch cushions, and even use your best china and champagne glasses, should you so desire. You can have your repast delivered from a favorite local restaurant, from a restaurant farther afield (see #2 above) or you can cook it together. If you want to make the experience as much like an outdoor picnic as possible, you can invest in one of these Ten Best Outdoor Blankets for Picnics and even pack all your goodies in a picnic basket.

Whatever Valentine’s holds for you this year, all of us at Ideal Homes & Neighborhoods send love and happiness.

Erin Yarbrough