Homemade Valentines

Gone are the days where people give homemade cupcakes or cookies and handwritten poems. Now Valentine’s Day is full of candy (especially chocolate) produced unsustainably and under terrible working conditions and store bought cards, stuffed animals, flowers, and trinkets that are either lost or thrown out by the end of the month.


The amount of waste and harm done by Valentine’s Day alone is incredibly depressing. But sending a love note or kind words doesn’t have to be. Instead of going out and buying a card, flowers, or chocolate, why not show the person you love them by making something yourself? 


There are thousands of ideas out there for homemade Valentines, but I have limited the list to sustainable, cheap things you can make last minute (it’s tomorrow if you have forgotten):


1. A love note: Keep it plain and simple. Handwrite your note on a nice piece of paper (preferably recycled). You can cut it into a heart, but the message is really what counts.

2. Create an electronic Valentine: If you are great with computer creation tools, then make something incredible and send it or print it for your Valentine. You can make desktop backgrounds, pictures, messages, whatever you would like.


3. Bake! Who doesn’t like a homemade treat?


4. Entertain: if you are able to sing, dance, or play an instrument, why not do so in the name of love (or friendship)?


5. Do something nice: instead of giving someone something, do something nice for them.


6. Music: if you can’t make your own, you can send them a playlist or a few songs that explain how you feel or that remind you of them.


7. Make dinner or some other meal: What really counts is showing that you care, so even if you aren’t the best cook the effort will be appreciated. 


8. Just say it: Valentines are about saying how you really feel. There is no need for a card as long as you say everything you wanted to and you make the recipient feel special.


9. Leave notes: Leave messages or hints on mirrors or on small slips of paper around the house. A dry erase marker will write on mirrors and come off easily. You can leave your loved one little notes all around.


10. Be creative! Don’t be afraid to do something you have never seen before (or copy what you have seen in your favorite movie). Just remember to know your audience and keep in mind what they like.