Valentine’s Day: A Family Affair

Despite what greeting cards might have you believe, Valentine’s Day isn’t just for couples. It’s a time to celebrate all of your relationships, including those with your kids, family and friends. Instead of going out to dinner, Valentine’s Day is a great excuse to spend some much-needed quality time with your family and friends exploring your favorite past-time activities.

When it’s chilly outside, there’s nothing better than baking cookies; Valentine’s Day allows for some creative twists on conventional confections. Are you a traditionalist? Spruce up a sugar cookie mix by adding red sprinkles or pink cream-cheese frosting, or—even better—both! Is your baking style a little more experimental? Buy an oatmeal cookie mix and add chopped dried cherries, coconut flakes, finely chopped pecans, and semi-sweet chocolate chips to make “I Love You This Much” cookies.

Kindle a fire while your cookies are in the oven—when they’re done, have a game night next to a roaring fireplace. If you’re in the mood for a lighthearted event, try Catch Phrase or Yahtzee; if you want to put your collective noggins to the test, play a few rounds of Cranium or Clue. Make it interesting by letting the winner choose the movie you watch as a family afterwards. Our suggestions: Be my Valentine, Charlie Brown, Shrek or Enchanted.

If you feel like getting out of the house, visit your local park for ice skating or a snowball fight or just go for a stroll around town. Layer up, the winter chill is still here.

Looking for something creative to do? Make your own paper floral arrangements to pass out to friends and family. For an affordable DIY version, all you need are clay pots, Styrofoam blocks, colorful pipe cleaners, mini pom poms, and construction paper. Make the flowers by cutting out various shapes in different colored paper. To create your arrangement simply attach the flowers to the pipe cleaner, then cut the Styrofoam blocks to fit the clay pots, and arrange the flowers into a dome-shaped creation. You’ll end up with a beautiful display that will perfectly adorn any area in your home.

Whether you stay in or go out, our ActiveLayer top is perfect for a day like this: it will keep you warm while wicking away moisture; plus, the hot pink top accentuates a Valentine’s Day celebration perfectly! Plus fall in love with the thumbhole as you layer with your favorite sweater.

What’s your favorite Valentine’s Day activity? We’d love to hear about your experiences with the above tips, or about your unique take on Valentine’s Day with the family by connecting with us through Facebook or Twitter