Valentine’s Day in Quarantine – 10 Ideas You Can Do at Home

Valentine’s Day doesn’t quite hit the same when you have to stay home. I get it! But that doesn’t mean it can’t still be fun!

Do you remember early quarantine last year when I was doing different quarantine dates each week? Dave and I made a pillow fort one night, we had a tea party, we went for a hike, had a spa day, etc. I was big on not letting date night die. You see, Dave and I had NEVER skipped a date night in the entirety of our relationship without a damn good reason, such as one of us being sick or having an obligation like a wedding. Even on those days we still attempted something. If a friend’s birthday was on a Friday night (that was always date night) we’d reschedule to another day that weekend. If one of us was sick, the other would make breakfast in bed and make a date out of taking care of one another. If you’re not gagging right now, even I am, so don’t feel too bad. The point is, we were always big on having one romantic night a week no matter what. Then guess what happened? Mandatory quarantine orders. I started off so creative and always coming up with new ideas, but I think that lasted maybe 8 weeks tops. Then date night disappeared for the first time in the history of our relationship. For the first time in six years!

Fast forward to now and we’re still shit at it. We haven’t got back into the groove of things, but that’s about to change. We’re going to do something fun this Friday and have a grand time this Sunday for VDay NO MATTER WHAT!  Lol.  

I don’t know where you’re at, but Dave and I are trying to stay home as much as possible. We don’t stay home entirely, but we would like to be better, be safe. We always obey CDC guidelines, but we have had the occasional dinner out and I can’t seem to stay away from Homegoods. No one’s perfect!

We’re trying to get back on that horse until vaccines start to seriously roll out, so we’re making due and reviving that romance. We’re going to start by trying to remember our first date. Yeah, you read that right. We’re both foggy on that one. Lol. I mean, we haven’t even decided what qualified as our first date, but we’re going to figure that out and try to recreate what we think may have been the first. *face palm* If only we could find a hot tub…

So, here are some ideas that are perfect for a VDay at home. They’re also great date nights in general. And if you really want some ideas, although a lot of these aren’t possible now because I made this list a while ago, you can check out my blog 150 Date Nights, of which I’ll also be revisiting as we’re about to have some serious date nightage at home. 

Recreate Your First Date

First thing’s first: the OG date. If you’re like me, this is a bit hazy. If it’s the night I think it was there may have been some champagne involved. Ok, there was champagne. Fine, lots of champagne. I digress… A lot of people I know have this in some time capsule in their brain that they can access on a whim. You know, you were wearing that blue velvet turtleneck dress. The one that was long sleeves with a high-neckline because you’re a Madonna, but also skin tight because you’re a….S’more? A busy night at the local hot spot. You had the lobster. He had the oysters. Turns out neither of you should have eaten the seafood in land-locked Nebraska. There was a speedy car ride to his apartment. Thank god he has two bathrooms. If you weren’t so physically ill you may have noticed how spotless his apartment was. He cleaned it “just in case”, ya know? How romantic! And the rest is history. 

Ok, maybe don’t do this one if your first date was a dumpster fire, but you get my drift. Recreate the meal, wear something similar, set the mood like your home is a restaurant or a movie theater, etc. 

Game Night

Believe it or not, this is a big favorite of mine. Personally, I love a night of Mario Cart, although it usually ends in begging Dave for one more round. He pretends to play and I have the time of my life beating him for the first time all night. I’m also a huge fan of watching people play video games. It really does it for me. 

This can mean so many things though. Literally anything you can play at home is “game” (see what I did there? ), just make it fun. I’ve always wanted to do a game night with Dave and play my favorites from when I was in my preteens, like Mall Madness and Girl Talk. I’ve oftentimes wondered if he’d secretly love this, but deny it vehemently.

Cook/Bake Something New

I mean, we’ve been doing this routine for a hot minute, so literally EVERYONE has made something new at some point. However, this means something special. This is that special thing you never dared to try because you’re intimidated, like a souffle! If it’s a disaster, you’ll laugh about it for years to come. If it turns out great, you learned a new skill. Level up! Either way, I highly recommend wearing aprons and playing music that fits. If I was making a souffle, I’d play the Amelie soundtrack. When Dave and I made homemade pasta for the first time we used a playlist of vintage Italian ballads. 

Take an Online Class

This is a whole thing now! You can find an online class for just about anything and there are soooo many for Valentine’s Day, from yoga to cooking to karate to decoupage, etc. It just needs to be something new!

Movie Marathon

Well, I mean, we’ve kind of been living that Netflix and Nil life for a bit, but hear me out. This is a day dedicated to something bigger than your love for the Bachelor. Actually, maybe the Bachelor is your love. The point is there needs to be a THEME. How many Harry Potter movies do you think you could watch in a day? Hmm? Have you always wanted to understand why everyone went through that Breaking Bad obsession? (I tried it and I don’t get it. #sorrynotsorry) Set the tone and hit it hard. If it’s Harry Potter, wear your house colors, make butter beer and cauldron cakes and dress your hairless cat as Voldemort. If it’s Breaking Bad, uh, don’t take any of it too literally. Lol. Actually, when Dave and I were in London we went to a place called ABQ that was a Breaking Bad themed cocktail bar. We wore full suits and gas masks in some dodgy trailer and made cocktail chemistry! You could get your own little chemistry set and learn some mixology chemical reactions. It was a blast and guaranteed you could do something interesting like that at home.

Happy Hour

Speaking of cocktails, time to put those skills to the test! I feel like the best way to approach this is start off by each person making something they’re good at and let it segue into experimenting and creating something new. Who knows, maybe you’ll be the next Arnold Palmer! You could also do something like infuse your own gin or maybe a wine tasting night. Just make it fun. 

Spa Day

Well, we could all use one of these. You need to do the works though if you’re calling this a VDay date. I’m talking masks, bubble baths, foot scrubs, massages for each other: everything you have in your basket! Who knows, it might lead to something a bit more interesting. 

Canvas and Cocktails

We all miss these nights! Remember going out with friends and getting wine drunk and attempting to make something pretty? My friends always made these beautiful things and mine looked like a foot, but it was fun! This is a good time to remind you that any of these things can be done with friends, the genetic makeup is just a bit different. A lot of these are also doable virtually. How funny would it be to attempt painting something with a friend (virtually) without any guidance. Just a balls to the wall attempt accompanied by merlot. Sounds pretty good to me! And you don’t have to be a lush to do these things. Mocktails are totally a thing. Don’t come at me. 

Road Trip

Fuuunnn! Not everyone can really get up and do a proper road trip, so this could also be a day trip! Go somewhere pretty to hike or take that two hour drive you always defer to an awesome lake and have a picnic. Just get out of the house and drive, even if there’s no plans. Pack some food and clothing options for the weather and put the pedal to the metal. Have an adventure, dammit! 

Make a Movie

This is probably my favorite option! You could use your phone or a proper camera, but actually film each other and yourselves together. Goof around and have fun! Maybe record private testimonials for the other person or reasons why you love them. You could cut it together that day or even keep as a fun reminder for next year and do it then! Or maybe just take photos of each other if you’re not comfortable with video. They could be serious attempts at something artistic, silly photos goofing around or even something sexy. As long as you’re enjoying each other, that’s all that matters. 

Happy Valentine’s Day, ya filthy animals! 

So, what do ya think? Comment if you have big VDay plans or if you want to try one of these!