Wish you could take your loved one to Paris for Valentines or celebrate Single-Awareness-Day with friends? You might not be able to go out to your favorite places this year, but you can still celebrate a wonderful holiday at home. Here are some suggestions of what you can do to this Valentine's day:
Make a Meal Together!
Cooking together makes a family closer. In fact, HealthyChildren.org gives Five Great Reasons to Cook with your Kids including improving family dynamics, promoting healthy habits, and teaching educational skills like measurements in math or the science of food-chemistry, not to mention the life-skill of knowing how to cook!
If you're looking for easy recipes to make together, you can find 12 Family Friendly Recipes to Cook Together on the Academy of Culinary Nutrition website.
Or if you're cooking a romantic dinner for two, try these 40 Valentine's Day Dinner Ideas for a Cozy, Romantic Night In from delish.com.
Whether you're cooking with friends, family, or a loved one, you might find a great recipe from Cozy Mystery Lists's article Mysteries with Recipes AND Recipe Books by Mystery Authors.
We have a great, free cookbook by Melissa Bourbon, The Bookish Kitchen, listed under "Other" in our library on The Cozy Mystery Library, too!
Bake Together!
Did you know February was Bake for Family Fun Month?
The Home Baking Association has not only designated the holiday, but divided the weeks into specific baking challenges. This week? Bake for my Valentine! They’ve got recipes for Valetine’s day treats to make with your family at: https://www.homebaking.org/bake-for-family-fun/
Their featured recipe is for Red Velvet Cupcakes - what a lovely idea!
You could also try these 25 easy Valentine's Day Treats to Make with Your Kids from It's Always Autumn. These treats look delicious and creative!
Cute DIY Projects also has 25 Valentines Day Treats to Make with Your Kids that may even be easier than the ones on It's Always Autumn. Not all of them are sweets. One is a tomato heart snack that's not only healthy, but might get your kids to eat their veggies!
Take a Virtual Vacation
Once you’re done making a meal and dessert, why not take a trip around the world? A few different websites feature live cameras in of some of our favorite places - and some of the most romantic. Even though we can’t take an in-person trip, at least we can see what’s happening around the world in real time. Here are some of the most beautiful sites to visit.
Earth Cam: Choose a location or search by theme (beaches, mountains, etc.)
Geo Cam: Select a theme from the dropdown menu (hotels, restaurants, etc.)
Google Earth: Choose any location on earth, go to one of their must-see views, or use Voyager to select a scene from Google Street View.
Visit a Resort Virtually: Many hotels and resorts are live streaming since the pandemic rendered us unable to go see them in person.
Take a Virtual Museum Tour: Since the Covid-19 outbreak, several museums have moved their exhibits online for us to visit virtually.
Zoom: Plan a get together with friends, family, or a significant other whom you cannot be with in person. It's free for a one on one get together and for 40 minute gatherings.
Play a Cozy Game or Make a Craft:
We might not be able to get together, but you can still play a cozy game with your partner, a friend, or your family this weekend. Here are some board games and some online games you might be able to play at home.
*I haven't played all these games myself, but I'm sharing games that I think would be fun as they seemed interesting based on their descriptions.
Board Games
Heart of Attraction is a great game for families. Throw a magnet into the center of the play area to attract as many magnet hearts as possible on each turn. *Warning: Magnets make for a choking hazard for younger children.
Ladies and Gentlemen is a satire of high-society. Be the best dressed couple at the ball. Men take on the stereotypical role of acquiring wealth while ladies shop for the outfits that wow the crowd. Or switch roles for a more hilarious take on the game.
Fog of Love: How do two fictional characters fall in love? Play this game with a friend or partner to create a love story between two fictional characters in this kickstarter funded creation. There are a few reviews on the site, all positive, and the game won the Dice Tower Seal of Excellence, the Table Top Gaming Editor's Choice award, and several other positive reviews.
Mystery Date: Match outfits with your mystery date behind the door in this vintage game (nostalgia edition). This one might be fun for singles rather than couples as it's geared toward matching the player with a mystery guy. You can also get this game in a bookcase edition, so it looks like just another book on your shelf!
Card Games
Marital Bliss: If you'd rather make Valentine's Day last a while, you can play this game for spouses to challenge each other to complete secret romantic missions for one another. This game has a 4.6 star rating with 64 reviews as of today. One important critique to note is that the graphics on the cards represent heteronormative relationships only. The company responded that they forwarded the critique to their creative team, so perhaps a more inclusive card game will be made in the future.
Love Letters is a race between players to be the first to get their love letter to the princess, who is trying to choose the most eligible match to help her rule as the future queen.
Valentine's Crafts
Why not do some holiday crafts with your kids this weekend? Or there are plenty of Valentine's decorations that you can make yourself to keep in your home or give away to a loved one. Check out these crafts to have a productive, fun holiday.
Kids may enjoy these 44 Fun Valentine's Crafts for Kids from Parents.com.
If you like to crochet, knit, sew or otherwise make crafts, you might check out Fave Crafts 39 Valentine's Crafts for Adults.
Of course, there's always coloring! Homemade Gifts Made Easy has 50 free, printable coloring pages for kids and adults to enjoy for Valentines!
Read a Free Valentine’s Cozy Mystery
Check out our article on Romance in Cozy Mysteries on The Cozy Mystery Library Blog to see some free cozies you might want to cozy up with this weekend.
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Have another cozy idea for Valentine's day? Share your ideas in the comments or on social media.
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