Valentine's Month is Here

There are three things that amaze me—
no, four things that I don’t understand:
how an eagle glides through the sky,
how a snake slithers on a rock,
how a ship navigates the ocean,
how a man loves a woman. ~ Proverbs 30:18-19

Love is in the air.  If you are one of those people who crams all your romance into one day on Valentine's Day, this blog is for you.  It's time to change it up a little.  Surprise the love of your life with twenty eight days of celebration.

The original idea for stretching a single day of celebration into an entire month comes from my father. When he owned Mulligan's bar, he made sure that all of his patrons began celebrating St. Patrick's Day on the first of the month and that the celebration lasted until the last day in March.

This idea works exceptionally well for “Valentine's Month”. You can develop your own variations and customize them to fit your individual situation. Here are a few thoughts:

Make a bunch of red hearts and write one or two romantic words on each of them. Cut them out and hide them all over the house in places where your lover will find them. Put some more hearts in their pockets or the insides of their shoes. Scatter a few more in the car.

You don't have to be high-tech to impress your lover with an electronic love video message. Simply visit Snapfish.com and in five minutes you can learn how to upload your favorite pictures and turn them into an amazing video message. There is also a nice assortment of cards that you can personalize using your own photographs.

There is nothing like a good old-fashioned love letter. Since my wife already receives one of these daily for me, in the month of February I like to change it up and raise the bar. You can write your love letters using different colors of ink. Cut out romantic pictures and put them in your love letters. Write your own poetry focusing on your love for your significant other. Put your heart into it. Be bold.

Take turns planning your love activities throughout the month. Keep the days that you are in charge of a secret from your lover as you plan romantic activities. Set up treasure hunts. Hide the clues all over the house. Each clue can lead your lover to another one. For example, you may write “see page 49 of your favorite romance novel for the next clue.” If your lover is an avid reader, you can leave teaser notes on page 49 of all the books. Throw a few riddles in there to spice up the treasure hunt.

Above all, have fun together. Happy Valentine's Month.