By Meghan Laslocky
If you’re single on Valentine’s Day, don’t be grumpy about it! If you’re proactive and plan ahead, there are a thousand ways you can enjoy VDay, even if you’re flying solo. Here are a few ideas:
1. Get a good workout in, either at the gym our outside. Really, there is nothing like a little rush of endorphins to chase away the VDay blues. Remember that there could well be tons of other singles doing just the same thing at the gym, so keep your eyes peeled. Get your workout done early in the day, before work or during lunch, so that you have the evening free for other plans.
Related: How to Make Your Lady Feel Special This Valentine’s Day
2. Gather your single friends for a rollicking night at home. If you’re up for cooking, here’s a great recipe for burgers with spinach and arugula pesto that goes well with a Zinfandel. Or you might want to consider this totally amazing butternut squash gratin, which you can assemble the night before and then just pop in the oven. (Pair that one with a nice Viognier.) If you don’t cook, then order takeout for a crowd! After dinner, play a board game like Pictionary or Scattergories, battle of the sexes style.
3. Get your friends together for a whiskey tasting (whisky is the new black, after all). Kink it up with blindfolds. In a blind taste test, who can tell the difference between an Irish whiskey and a single malt scotch, or a bourbon and a rye?
Related: Surviving Valentine’s Day
4. Movie night! A few suggestions if you want to stay in: “Lost in Austen” is a hilarious 3-hour British mini-series in which 21st century Jane Austen fan switches places with Pride and Prejudice’s Elizabeth Bennet. If you want to steer clear of love stories all together and you’re game for dark, quirky foreign comedy, check out the Danish film “Adam’s Apples,” with Mads Mikkelsen. Or head to the cinema and laugh your socks off over Bruce Willis jumping through glass ceilings in “A Good Day to Die Hard.”
5. Go see a comedy show. Valentine’s Day makes for great fodder for comedians! Check out your local comedy clubs for what’s coming up on February 14.
6. Peruse local listings for creative singles events. Some bookstores host Valentine’s Day speed dating events geared toward readers, bars host “no love song” karaoke nights, and some cities like San Francisco even host flash-mob style V-Day pillow fights!
So, if you’re single, there’s no reason why V-Day has to feel like D-Day. All it takes is some creativity and positive thinking and just about anyone can have a fun, memorable Valentine’s Day.
Meghan Laslocky is the author of ‘The Little Book of Heartbreak: Love Gone Wrong Through the Ages’ (Plume/Penguin).
