Romantic Ideas to Make it Valentine's Day All Year Long!

To be a special Valentine to your partner takes lots of energy, time, attention and Love. Let's all give some thought about who we are being in our relationship, what we can do to make them better and who we will have to become to have them be healthy and successful.

Celebrate your relationship or reach out and touch someone you love. Consider celebrating with friends or family. Be creative. Take some time to give some thought to how your partner likes to be acknowledged, appreciated and loved.

You must consistently invest in your relationship to receive its dividends. No deposit. . . no return.

Make EVERYDAY Valentine's Day for your partner or someone you love.

1. I proposed to my wife on Valentine's Day. I went to the Olive Garden in the afternoon and left three red roses and a vase and asked the manager to have someone watch for us and when the waitress brought our drink order to have the roses and our engagement ring with a beautiful card delivered. Bring your own Valentine's candles, rose pedals, etc.

2. Send your partner a special note to their office telling them that tonight you are offering a full-body massage, with candlelight and favorite beverage. Let your fingers do the talking. It's a great way to express your love for your partner. Or, hire a masseuse to give your partner a professional massage at home.

3. Have a caterer deliver and serve a beautiful meal to your home for Valentine's Day.

4. If you plan to buy a dozen roses, put one on her pillow, one on the dresser, one on the TV; scatter them throughout the house and leave a special love note with each one.

5. Women: Do something WITH him that he wouldn't expect you to do. Tickets to a sporting event; plan a fishing trip. If you hate sports, go anyway and allow yourself to have fun just being with him. Show interest in his hobby, interests and pastimes.

6. Go for a special "hot-air balloon" ride, complete with picnic basket, a blanket, champagne, just for the two of you.

7. Plan a special date. Pretend it's your very first date. Have fun. Dance. Watch the sun complete your day in the arms of your significant other.

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8. Leave "Post-It" notes with special messages hidden all over the house for your lover to find when they least expect it. Hide them in a pair of pants they have in the closet, inside every pair of shoes, under things, inside books they read, inside folded towels they will use, in the car, taped inside the fridge, on the telephone, in the sugar bowl, etc. It may take them days to find them all and they will love every one.

9. Choose a lake resort or favorite beach. Rent a rowboat. Pack a picnic basket. Bring your favorite music, find a secluded area and have some fun.

10. LISTEN all-year-long for ideas or things your partner would like to have or do. Make notes to yourself and buy that special thing and surprise them with it when they least expect it (especially after they might have forgotten about it.).

11. Record a "love message" on a cassette or CD and use some very special words to express your love for your partner. Borrow some words from several greeting cards. Put the recording in the cassette or CD player of their car, stick a note on the rear view mirror that lets them know it's there. Try to make it long enough to last until they get to the office.

12. If you are giving your partner a ring, buy a large box of Cracker Jacks, unseal the bottom and the package with the tiny prize inside. Put the ring in the surprise package, seal it back up, wrap the Cracker Jacks with paper with red hearts, write a special love note on the outside and give it to them.

13. Make a copy of your wedding photo, put it in a special frame and write the words, "I love you more today than yesterday," and sign your name.

14. This idea takes some planning ahead. Create a "love journal." Jot down one special idea for each day of the year and present it to them on Valentine's Day.

15. Men: Put a note in her Valentine that says, "I love you and to prove it, I promise to give you the TV remote for 30 days!"

16. Buy some sidewalk chalk. Draw a large heart on the driveway with red chalk and write, "I love you" in the middle.

17. Make a colorful banner on your computer with hearts, etc., that expresses your love and put in on the garage door, so it's the first thing your partner sees when they come home.

18. Next year, buy 14 Valentines and beginning on the 1st of February, give them one for each day leading to Valentine's Day.

19. THINK AHEAD. Plan a romantic weekend get-away, away from the phone, the children, TV, etc. Just BE together. Taking time away from your usual environment and routine to go somewhere different and create quality time together. It is a wonderful way to keep romance alive.

20. It's easy to buy a card or gift in the store, but it is very special to take the time to make your own. This will have much more impact as it will be coming straight from your heart and therefore will go straight to the heart of the person you are sending it to. Just the fact that you took the time to stop and create something so personal for them is a gift in and of itself. Most likely they will cherish it and also realize how much they mean to you. Mail it to them with a "Love Stamp."

21. Instead of asking your love out the traditional way... kidnap her and take her away for a night of romance! For extra fun, use a squirt gun and play-cuffs! Blindfold her and take her somewhere really nice for dinner. Remove the blindfold when you arrive at the restaurant, but put it back on her when you leave. Take her to special places that you have been before, or places that hold memories (where you met, where you spent your first Valentine's Day, etc.). At the end of the night tell her how much you loved every place you have ever been with her and everything thing you have ever done and that you would do it all over again.

22. Surprise your sweetheart when they least expect it. Show up at work, school, on their lunch-break, etc., just to give them a rose, a kiss, a hug or a special card and tell them you love them.

23. Plan ahead. Find a nice hotel with a Jacuzzi suite with bubble bath, 2 glasses with sparkling wine, heart-shaped balloons, rose petals on the bed, a Happy Valentine's Day sign on wall, heart-shaped candles everywhere, chocolate kisses, roses (one for each year together), red and white Valentine lights and music.

24. Before your partner takes a shower, write a message to him in the mirror with your finger, like 'I love you' or 'I love it when you're clean!'. He won't see it when he gets in, but when he gets out of the shower and the bathroom is all steamy, the message will "magically" appear on the mirror. When the mirror fogs up the natural oils that were released by your skin will prevent that area from steaming over.

25. Keep a ready supply of several different colored dry-erase markers in your bathroom. Leave love notes for your partner on the bathroom mirror, and afterwards they wipe right off. It also may encourage a rather quiet and non-romantic man to leave some romantic notes of his own.

26. Long Distant Relationship: Write a very special love message on the back of a small jigsaw puzzle, then take the puzzle apart so he or she has to put it together to read the message. Mail the puzzle all at once or several pieces at a time.

27. Find a full picture of you or design a special love message and have it put on a t-shirt, pillowcases, or bed sheet, etc.

28. Put a note on the rearview mirror in their car on the anniversary of your first date. On the note ask if they remember the importance of this day. When they come home have a trail of flower petals leading them from clue to clue. At the final stop present them with an invitation for an evening of re-enacting your first date.

29. If you are giving your partner a bracelet, buy her a stuffed bear, and have the bear wearing the bracelet. Wrap it and have a waitress deliver it to your table during dinner.

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30. Here's a crazy idea. For dinner on Valentine's Day, make most of the food you prepare either red or pink. Red mashed potatoes, pink bread, red Jell-O, and a red tinted heart cake with pink icing. Use red potpourri. Scatter red candles of all shapes and sizes all over. Try to incorporate hearts in as many ways as you can

31. If you are Internet savvy, make a special Website for your sweetheart. Fill it with hearts, poems, "I love you" messages, pictures and whatever turns them on. Go to a site that allows you to create a free Website and make a Website for your sweetheart. There are many places that offer free Websites that are fairly easy to create!

32. Put love notes and Hershey Kisses in your sweetheart's cereal box.

33. Plan ahead. Fill a blank book with letters, scribbles, a few photos, and even poems of your feelings for your partner.

34. Buy 12 Valentines and plan to mail one each month so it arrives on the 14th day of the month. Celebrate Valentine's Day, all year long.

35. Plan ahead. The day before Valentine's Day, send flowers, a romantic card, chocolate, or a small gift to your loved one at work. Enclose a card saying you can't wait until tomorrow.

36. Plan ahead. Collect a box full of your favorite couple memories; the ticket stubs to the first movie you saw together, the dried corsage from your first dance, plane tickets from your honeymoon, some photos, love letters, whatever means something to you. Present it to your honey after dinner and have a wonderful time looking at each item and remembering. Add to this box of memories over the years.

37. Heart-shaped boxes can be the perfect container for your gift. Be on the lookout for them throughout the year. Fill the prettiest box with a handful of glittery heart-shaped party confetti, glitter, or red tissue paper, all hiding a little jewelry box that contains a heart-shaped necklace, bracelet, ring, etc.

38. Send Valentines to all the people on your Christmas card list. Everyone enjoys a jolt of cheer in the middle of dreary February.

39. Show up at a children's hospital with a load of toys, books and games.

40. Take flowers and candy to strangers in a nursing home or hospice.

41. Think of someone you know who's been in the doldrums lately and leave a secret Valentine's Day care package on his or her doorstep. Something as simple as a bottle of wine or a bunch of flowers from the supermarket can turn someone's whole day around.

42. Scatter a packet of Heavenly Blue morning glory seeds beside a rusty chain-link fence in a vacant lot. Post a tiny sign that dedicates this flower plot to your sweetheart.

43. If you do not have a partner, seize this day with gusto! Do something incredible for yourself. Do something that is personally nurishing and nurturing. Be your own Valentine: Buy yourself that painting or dress (or suit) or coffee-table book you can't get out of your mind. Take yourself to dinner at your favorite restaurant, or have the meal delivered. Take the day off work and spend it doing whatever you like to do most - even if it's absolutely nothing.

44. Put a drop of red food coloring in the bottom of your sweetheart's cereal bowl, underneath the cereal. When they add the milk, it will turn pink. When it does, wish them a Happy Valentine's Day!

45. If your sweetheart is going to be away from you on Valentine's Day, get several Valentine's Day cards and put them in different places in his or her luggage. You could sequence them with "Open Me on February 14th" or "Open Me on February 15th" to create some suspense.

46. Write, "I love you!" in lipstick or shaving cream on the bathroom mirror. You could also tape a heart with the words "I love you" if you prefer an easier clean up.

47. Give your sweetheart a "Love" coupon that says, "I'll do all the household chores for the next week!"

48. Put a note in your Valentine that says, "I promise to switch roles with you for one day!" If you don't know exactly what they do in a day, ask them to make a list. You'll gain new insights into your partner's life; insights that will help you make romantic gestures that are more personal, intimate, appropriate and appreciated. Time spent getting to know your partner better is usually more appreciated than money spent.

49. Buy your sweetheart a copy of "How to Really Love the One You're With" and read it together. You use a yellow highlighter and give your partner a pale blue highlighter and mark all the thoughts and ideas that are important to you. If you both happen to mark the same thing, blue and yellow make green. You know where you are on target and where to focus on what your lover considers important to the relationship.

50. Make a promise to your partner to create together a once-a-week, "date night!" AND, keep your word. Let nothing prevent your weekly get together. If you have children, have a trusted friend watch them at THEIR house. Return the favor.

51. Plan ahead for this idea. Take your sweetheart to a symphony concert, musical, or other type of theater production; one you haven't been to before.

52. If you are not married. . . propose! Give her a heart shaped box of chocolates, with one chocolate missing and a ring in it's place. If you are married. . . propose again! Plan a special "Renewal of Vows" ceremony. For a special "romantic" ceremony, click here.

53. Rent a horse drawn carriage. Take a ride - with champagne, glasses, special love songs that mean something special to both of you (bring a boom box), a warm blanket if it gets too cool - through the park or "lover's Lane" after dark.

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54. Write a love letter out of candy bar titles. Get a piece of brightly colored poster board and a bunch of your favorite candy bars. Write your love letter on the board in a contrasting colored pen. Replace key words with candy bars taped onto the poster board.

55. Have cupid send your Valentine's Day greeting card (or any other romantic card) to your sweetheart that bears a postmark from Loveland, CO 80537. This city is one of several cities that have a special name whose postmark can embellish your greeting card with romance. Special postmarks say, "I love you" because your partner will know that you extended some extra effort to make your greeting special.

56. Buy a tube of red lip stick, draw a large heart on the mirror she will use in the morning. Under the heart, write a note that says, "You are looking at the woman who has captured my heart!"

57. Cut out lots of hearts on colored construction paper, write down reasons you love your sweetheart on each heart. Borrow a few romantic sayings from greeting cards. Place them inside red, heart-shaped balloons and blow them up. Watch your sweetheart smile as they pop each balloon and read what's inside.

58. Carve a heart and your partner's initials (yours too) on a tree, then plan a surprise picnic under the tree. Let your sweetheart discover the surprise.

59. Ambush your sweetie with a Valentine's Day surprise. Make 3 or 4 small signs and scatter them around the yard. Make one larger sign with a personal message of love and romance to let the neighbors know how much you care. Tie several heart-shaped balloons filled with helium to each sign. Leave a gift arrangement at the front door filled with a stuffed animal, Valentine's day candy, a coffee mug filled with chocolate kisses and a candle. Put all this in your yard sometime during the night (or have someone else do it). When she wakes up, she'll see a nice surprise.

60. Buy 24 movie passes at a local theater and ask your sweetheart to pick one romantic movie to see together once each month for a year. Present them in a heart-shaped box with a very special love note. OR. . . make 12 special coupons good for a romantic movie each month. Rent them from the video store. Choose from my "Top 100 Romantic Movies" list and once each month spend a romantic night cuddling together, complete with candles, snacks and drinks.

61. Plan dinner out. Hop from restaurant to restaurant, having only one course at each establishment. Your "progressive dinner" should include drinks, salad, appetizers, the main course and don't forget desert.

62. Pull a surprise all-nighter. Book dinner at a quaint B&B and secretly reserve a room there. Bring over your stuff eariler in the day, remembering to pack your sexiest lingerie. Arrange with the owner beforehand to have him "offer" to show you a room after you've had dinner. Wait for the ear-to-ear grin you'll get when your partner sees your bag on the bed.

63. Renew your vows! Book at least one night in a hotel's honeymoon suite and whisper your vows to one another in bed or hire Larry James to perform a very romantic "renewal of vows" ceremony in front of a few close friends. It is an opportunity to reaffirm the tremendous love that has deepened with the passing of years.

64. When was the last time you shared a lazy morning breakfast with your partner? Substituting date morning for date night will make you see each other in, literally, a whole new light. Since you are both fresh - as opposed to end-of-the-day bushed - you're sure to have more connected conversations.

65. Go swimming - naked - under a full moon! Pool, lake or ocean. It doesn't matter. Just two lovers enjoying the peace and quiet in the shimmering night. It's an adventure, not to say anything about the adrenaline rush you get from doing something au naturel in nature together.

66. Titilate your partners tootsies with your tender touch. Take your time. A surprise foot massage will have you both feeling tingles. It builds intimacy and excitement.

67. Never walk too far ahead of your partner and never walk too fast. To wait for a partner is far better than to run off from them. It is a relationship courtesy to take your time and walk in sync with others when you are out and about. It says, "I want to be with you." When we out-pace others and leave them behind, we are telling them, "What I am doing is more important than being with you." People are sensitive to "Proximity" and want to feel that they are important to you, even more important then the event you are walking to or the task at hand. (From the book, "101 Rules for Relationships" by Billy Hornsby).

Remember. . . A thoughtful act or kind word may pass in a moment, but the warmth and care behind it stays in the heart forever!

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