Endless Love
For those of us living in the Northern Virginia & Washington DC areas, this week has given some of us plenty of snow days to twiddle our thumbs. We say use some of that time to plan a memorable, ultra warm Valentine’s Day for your nearest and dearest. And we have some fresh ideas for you that are easy to do when you’re mostly snowbound!
Chocolates and roses, champagne and diamonds—what else will you get for your beloved this Valentine’s Day? We’d like to suggest, in addition to the gold standards, showing creativity and thoughfulness by adding those special moments to the occasion.
High Tech Valentine
If you’re in a modern day romance and want to tell your darling just how much you love them, take a gander at these high-tech tips to will tickle and delight your mate this February 14th. So, let your heart do the texting and the Web do the wooing, and show your sweetie just how much you love them.
- Quickie Text. One of our daily habits can truly be put to use this Valentine’s Day. Texting is one of the quickest ways to communicate with someone—and you can only use a limited amount of characters, making your message concise and meaningful. Don’t underestimate the power of the text message, lovebirds, and use this technique wisely. Send your sweetie a quick and to-the-point message telling them how much you love them and appreciate them, or any sweet compliment you think they deserve. Text your sweetie how much you loved waking up next to them this morning. Text to let them know you’re thinking about them and that you can’t wait to see them again. Texting can be romantic; you just need to find the right words.
- Make a Playlist. The mixed tape is long gone—we’ve stepped into a new era of music compilations. Steal away your guy or gal’s iPod or MP3 player and make a playlist of songs for them. Title the playlist, alluding to what the songs should mean to them—and the best part—don’t tell them you did it. Nothing’s more romantic than the classic combination of music and the element of surprise.
- Romantic Readers. Have a honey that’s a bookworm? Every avid reader should have an e-reader, allowing them to have more than one literary lure with them at all times. If you’re looking to purchase an e-reader for your loved one, don’t just buy it—take it a step further and personalize it for them—preload a couple of their favorite books and ‘hopeful reads’ onto the device before giving it to them. Small things like that really make all the difference. If there’s a book you know they’ve been dying to read, buy and download it onto their new device.
- Send a Love e-Letter. Love letters have been courting and connecting people for centuries, and while putting your feelings into words will never go out of style—the medium in which you choose may just change a little. Write your beloved an email telling them everything you love and feel about them—it’s our generation’s modern love letter. The nice thing about email is that your words can reach the person you love almost instantly, and won’t get lost at the post office.
- Admiring Apps. We’ve entered the age of smartphone and, believe it or not, there are some romantic perks that can come out of having a smartphone. You can create your own Valentine via iPhone, and for free, with the Create a Valentine app. The app offers several different backgrounds and heart styles to choose from, and allows you to add your own message. Another free app is the Sweethearts app, which allows you to customize your own popular sugary candy for your sweetie. You can send virtual Sweethearts candy boxes with custom messages to the ones you love and you can even make them appear on that person’s Twitter page.
- Set the Date. Set up a calendar on your Google account, or just make one via Microsoft Office, that details the plans you’ve made for you and your partner. Plug into the calendar the things you planned to do for them or do together—like a picnic in the park, a weekend trip to the coast, or even something simple like breakfast in bed—and then send it in an email. It’s a nice surprise, especially for someone who’s been busy with work—it gives them something fun and romantic to look forward to amongst the daily trials of office life.
- TiVo Together. TiVo, or record, your loved one’s favorite shows or a special event that you know they’d like to watch and make a date of it. Bust out the pillows, popcorn and pajamas, and have an at-home date. TiVo is good for a lot of things, even relationships.
- Clean up. There is nothing more tedious than cleaning a computer—especially the keyboard. One of the nicest things you could for your guy or gal this Valentine’s Day is to clean their tech. Cleaning technology, whether it’s your HDTV, laptop or even your car, is something that we all put off. You could also clean up their desktop and hard drive—make their computer a little speedier for them. Performing this task for someone you love is a priceless gift that really shows you care.
- E-cards. Don’t go to Hallmark and the flower shop for your darling, look to the Internet instead. E-cards are endearing, customizable and just a click away. Send your loved ones an e-card everyday for the few days leading up to Valentine’s Day—making each day special. You could also use e-cards to drop some hints on what you have planned for them this V-Day. Customize the messages to provide some clues as to where you’ll be going, what you’re planning, and what they should be excited for.
Big Screen Valentine
Being stuck at home is the perfect start to a week of romantic movies! Here is a short list of the greats:
Pride and Prejudice (Any version)
Sweet Home Alabama
The Notebook
The Wedding Date
Sabrina
Ever After
French Kiss
While You Were Sleeping
The American President
Dave
Grease
Two Weeks Notice
Pretty Woman
The Wedding Planner
The Cutting Edge
Return to Me
You’ve Got Mail
Medicine Man
Music and Lyrics
Life or Something Like It
Someone Like You
Murphy’s Romance
A Walk in the Clouds
Indecent Proposal
When Harry Met Sally
Kate and Leopold
The Holiday
What a Girl Wants
She’s All That
Pure Country
Hope Floats
The Truth About Cats & Dogs
And so many more! Check out the list of top 200 Romantic Movies.
Today’s Blog Credits go To: Digital Trends: Hi Tech Valentines