����vlog

Pizza My Heart

"Our first son was born just before Valentine’s Day. Since he was still an infant we didn't want to leave him, so we decided just to have a night in. To make it special I made homemade pizza in the shape of a heart. We put the baby to bed and then ate it by candlelight as if it were the finest restaurant meal. It was the perfect way to celebrate and we have continued that tradition every year since. Today, our sons love it too because I make extra pizza for them as well!" — Michelle B., Apple Valley, Minnesota

The 14 Days of Valentine's

"Every year I do the '14 Days Of Valentine’s,' sort of like the 12 Days of Christmas but love-themed. Starting Feb. 1, I give (my partner) a little gift every day with a Valentine's pun (like 'You are ‘soda’lightful' with a bottle of red soda) up until Valentine’s day. On the 14th I give him a little booklet of 14 things I love about him with a box of chocolates. I also like to include some pictures of fun things we’ve done together so we can reminisce about all the good times!" — Carrie S., Arvada, Colorado

I'll Be There for You

"The first Valentine’s Day after my boyfriend and I started dating also happened to be the day my uncle died after a fight with brain cancer. It was a painful and tragic death — he left three young kids — and my whole family was wrecked. When my boyfriend came over to pick me up to go out and saw how distraught I was, he immediately changed plans. He drove me through the night to another state so I could be with my family and stayed there with me through the funeral several days later. That meant more to me than any gift. I still tear up thinking about it." — Elizabeth P., Las Vegas, Nevada

Wheel Love

"One Valentine’s Day I couldn’t get work off. My boyfriend and I were both bummed but we decided to just celebrate the next night, no big deal. That day, however, I was a little sad, as he hadn’t even sent me a happy Valentine’s Day text or anything. I’m a nurse and was working a late shift, so it was after midnight when I finally got done. When I walked out to my car my feelings totally changed: He’d decorated it with balloons and streamers, filling the seats with candy, chocolate and stuffed animals. There were even a dozen roses in the front seat … which were frozen solid because we live in a frozen wasteland. It was perfect." — Jenny M., Madison, Wisconsin

Boom-Boom Box

"I have a special Valentine box that I decorated for my husband, like the kind we made in grade school. Except instead of cutesy valentines, I make my own X-rated versions. I buy a box of cartoon valentines from the story (usually superheroes) and then change them to all kinds of dirty sayings and pictures. I laugh so hard making them, and on Valentine’s Day he dies reading them. Then he picks a couple of favorites and we use them as ideas for later that night. For fun, I’ll also throw in a few little gifts like flavored lubricant or glow-in-the-dark body paint. He says it’s his favorite holiday now — better than Christmas." — Becca M., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Love Emergency

"A few days before Valentine’s Day last year my husband decided to try out an 'American Ninja Warrior'-style obstacle course with our kids … and ended up rupturing his Achilles tendon! So Valentine’s Day found us in the hospital with him getting surgery to repair it. It wasn’t the most romantic day but we still got a break from our kids and a meal out (even if it was from the hospital cafeteria). We still laugh about all the stuff he said while doped up on painkillers. Definitely a memorable Valentine’s!" — Laura M., Smithfield, Utah

Season's Greetings

"Every year my parents each gave the other two cards for Valentine's Day. They’d spend so much time picking out the perfect cards — one funny, and one sentimental. They kept all of them and they started recycling them. They’d choose their favorites out of the old ones and re-gift those since they'd forgotten them by then anyway. It cracked me up! My mom passed away several years ago in an accident and those cards have become a treasured memory to me, an emblem of their decades of love and what true love really looks like." — Joy M., Firth, Idaho

A Real Gem

"My husband and I had been dating for six years but because our families didn’t approve of our relationship — we came from different cultures and religions — we really hadn’t discussed marriage much. Then one Valentine’s Day I came home from work to find him in my apartment with a box of chocolates, a bouquet of flowers … . I was beyond surprised! His sister had helped him pick out the ring and they’d kept it a secret from everyone, including me. That night it was just him and me, which was perfect. Without our families around we could see this was what we really wanted. I said 'yes' and we eloped a few months later! Our families have been surprisingly cool with everything. I think once they realized this was really happening they decided to get on board (or miss out on grandkids!)." — Colleen B., Denver, Colorado

A Family Affair

"Several years ago, my seven sisters and I decided it would be fun to start a tradition of making a huge, fancy group dinner for our husbands/boyfriends. We met at our parents’ house, cleaned and cooked all day and made this amazing, gourmet meal. It was fantastic. But it was so much work we barely had time to sit down and enjoy it. Some Valentine’s Day for us, right? Plus, when all was said and done, it cost more than eating a nice meal out. So now we have a tradition of just going out to dinner!" — Amy H., North Logan, Utah

Paper Trail

"For Valentine’s Day, I cut hearts out of fun paper and leave a trail from the front door up the stairs to our room. Depending on whether or not I’ve been able to find a babysitter, he’ll either find his present or chocolate at the end … or me in the bathtub. Obviously some years are better than others but the surprise is half the fun!" — Jeanette L., Denver, Colorado

Measuring Up

"My husband and I met when we were stationed at the same military base. We were both at the beginning of our training so when we first started dating we had no money and no time off to buy gifts, even if we could afford them. I expected our first Valentine’s Day to be pretty sparse. But I had to laugh when he showed up with a small bouquet of daisies from the (post exchange) that he’d arranged in an old Pyrex 2-cup delineated measuring cup. I’d been complaining a few weeks before how hard it was to cook anything because I didn’t have any cooking supplies. To this day I don’t even know where he found it! But that cup meant everything to me and I still have it." — Jessica S., San Diego, California

The Total Package

"There’s a hotel nearby that does a Valentine’s Day special every year. They decorate your room with rose petals on the bed and candles, put out chocolate-covered strawberries and offer a nice dinner through room service — all as a package deal. My husband and I decided that it was just easier to go and have someone else take care of all the details so we could just focus on each other and being together. I love not having to worry about anything except packing my bag." — Lia F., Denver, Colorado

Statement Jewelry

"When my now-husband and I first started dating, he was walking me home and it just happened to be Valentine’s Day. We’d just started seeing each other and I didn’t expect anything. I was going off on how over-commercialized the holiday had become and how it’s shouldn’t be about gifts and people spend way too much money and blah blah blah. When we got to my door, he pulled out a bracelet he’d got me while he was in Mexico. It was beautiful, with my name embroidered on it. He stammered, 'Well, I got this for you but I guess I could just send it back or something?' I. Died. I was so embarrassed. I loved it but I had to work really hard to convince him I was excited. We both laughed about it and I told him that it was thoughtful because I honestly wasn’t expecting anything. We’re married now and it’s still one of my favorite gifts he’s ever given me." — Ivie C., Rexburg, Idaho

Bacon Me Crazy

"It’s not a huge thing but every Valentine’s Day I make my husband his favorite appetizer. I wrap water chestnuts in bacon. Then I place a dozen of them on skewers, arranged to look like a bouquet of roses. Trust me, bacon on a stick is way more romantic to him than any flowers!" — Kris O., Columbus, Ohio

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

"My grandparents have been sending each other the same card back and forth every Valentine’s Day for years. It all started when my grandpa was stationed overseas. My grandma, who he was just dating at the time, sent him this ridiculous over-the-top card covered in glitter and hearts, as a joke. He taped it up and his friends made fun of him endlessly. The next year, he added a note to it and mailed it back to her. They kept it up even after they got married and lived in the same house. The card is now filled front and back and covered with post-it notes. They are my relationship goals!" — Melissa T., Seattle, Washington

It Takes a Village … to Raise a Boyfriend

"When my boyfriend asked me what we wanted to do for our Valentine’s Day, I didn’t want to be 'high maintenance,' so I just told him we could keep it low-key. Well, he took that as permission to do nothing. He didn’t even get the night off work; he was a waiter at a popular restaurant and didn’t want to miss out on all those sweet Valentine’s Day tips. I was so upset I locked myself in my room and sobbed. My roommate heard what was going on and called him. Then she handed me her favorite sexy cocktail dress and told me to get dressed. She and her boyfriend drove me to the restaurant where he worked without saying a word. When I got there the staff had set up a private table for my boyfriend and me, complete with candles, roses and champagne. He took his dinner break with me there and it really was our most romantic date ever." — Annie R., New Orleans, Louisiana

Rise and Dine

"My husband works odd shifts and so we started a tradition of having instead of dinner. I make heart-shaped cinnamon rolls with pink icing and strawberry shakes. Then if we have time together later we usually just cook some dinner together and watch a movie." — Ellen M., Smithfield, Utah

Come Fly With Me

"My husband and I both love to travel and see new things so every year for Valentine’s Day we spend a night in a fun, different hotel. So far we’ve had a hotel room in Monterey that hung out over the water, one in the red rocks in Sonora, one on a ski resort, one that could only be accessed by a gondola boat ride and a sunset dinner cruise in San Francisco bay. We’ve done a bed and breakfast with a rifleman theme, one with a dog sled theme and another with a black bear theme. We also did a cute isolated cabin in Pinedale, Arizona. It is the perfect time to escape daily responsibilities and remember why we fell in love."— Lisa G., Westminster, Colorado

The Greatest Gift of All

"My husband and I have made it a point to not buy into Valentine’s Day. We feel like it’s a stupid excuse for companies to make money and has turned into a big commercial day rather than being about real love. Instead, we make it a point to look into each other’s eyes and say ‘I love you’ in a meaningful way. I love our 'tradition!'" — Makenzie M., Raleigh, North Carolina