Well, Christmas is all packed up and behind us, and now it’s on to the next holiday: Valentine’s Day! I don’t know what it is about Valentine’s Day that I have always loved, but there is just something about it! Maybe it’s that I can pretty much get behind any holiday that revolves around love and chocolate. I think one of the reasons is because my parents always did such a great job celebrating every little holiday with us and I have such great memories of it and I want to do the same for my kids.
Since Valentine’s Day is typically a holiday that revolves around couples, I thought I would share with you some things we do to make it a family affair!
Celebrating a holiday with kids doesn’t have to cost a ton of money. If there is one thing that I have learned over the last few years it is that sometimes we can do the simplest thing that ends up having the biggest impact on our kids and that is what they talk about the most! Even if my husband and I go out to dinner on Valentine’s Day, we arrange a day that week to celebrate it with the kids as well — this has become one of my favorite traditions! We always either make our own heart-shaped pizza or pick one up from Papa Murphy’s. We then top the night off with chocolate-covered strawberries and, our newest tradition as of last year, is to also have Moonshine Mountain Cookie Company cookies! If you haven’t tried them yet, oh my gosh!!! Run there now! They are absolutely incredible and the prefect treat.
Starting February 1st I begin decorating my home with little Valentine’s Day banners and even a little gold tree adorned with pink ornaments, just to get everyone in the lovie dovie spirit! đŸ™‚ Target is the PERFECT place from which to pick up some festive decor! Their dollar spot is ON POINT this year with all kinds of goodies that really are so affordable and your kids will go nuts over them! One of our favorite finds this year has been their adorable glass clings. Little stickies in the shape love robots, owls, and of course hearts and Xs and Os which keep my littles busy as they put them on our glass door. Decor and activity makes it a double win!
A new tradition that we are starting this year is the following: my husband and I are writing our kids love notes each day starting February 1st and putting them in adorable little felt mailboxes that I also got at Target. Each morning when they come downstairs they can open up a little note that tells them something simple that we love about them. My hope is that they will keep these little notes and be able to refer back to them year after year and see how much they have grown, and all the new and fun things we love about them every year.
Valentine’s Day may be a silly day created by Hallmark to make an extra buck, but I will use any chance I get to celebrate how much I love my family and let them know it. Making sweet, fun memories with my kids – that hopefully they can do one day with their kids – is one of my very favorite things of this whole parenting gig.
I love this! I’m the same way; it was one of the only holidays that my parents made a big deal out of (sometimes more than Christmas) so I always want to celebrate it with my kids! We don’t really work up to the day; just surprise them on valentines with a special breakfast and a special little present! I have tried to work on helpings my kids to do special things for others too, like making Valentines and cookies for neighbors or friends. I’m sure it will be easier for them to understand when they get older but I’d like them to be used to it until then!