An alternative Valentines

A lot of folks prefer to boycott Valentine's Day and I get it - the over-commercialization, the over-consumption; it's not only overwhelming but also frankly distasteful.  However, I still think celebrating and showing love is a good thing and the yearly reminder to appreciate the people you care about is a good reason to do something special.  While I do like flowers, chocolates, jewellery and going out for a special meal, below are some of the alternative Valentine's activities that I've enjoyed over the years!  

• Getting together with friends/family and setting up an at-home sundae bar.  Made by Marcus and Village Ice Cream always have interesting flavours (plus buying pints to take out means you can skip the line-up for scoops) so getting everyone to bring a pint and/or topping means lots of interesting flavour combos! 
• Have a picnic meal - if it's too cold out (which is a definite possibility at this time of year) you can go to the Devonian Gardens, the Winter Garden at Jamieson Place, or the Conservatory at the Calgary Zoo.  If you're the outdoorsy type, I recommend taking the picnic lunch out snowshoeing and building a fire to keep you warm while you eat.  
• If you've got kids in your life, going to the bookstore and picking out a book together is always fun.  After you've picked one together, write a note in the flyleaf for the child that they can read again later on.  
• Choosing a new piece of artwork for your home together from a local artist, or going to a live music spot to check out the local bands.  This is a great way to do something new and supports the local community as well.  
• If you've got an indoor fireplace or an outdoor fire pit, making s'mores never gets old.  Hubby and I have toasted marshmallows on our gas stove too!

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Photo: Nicole Wee