Valentine's Day: Love it or hate it; share the love anyway!

It’s now the month of February and so what does that mean? Well, every four years there’s a leap year! This fact is true, but what’s really on the mind most is Valentine’s Day. Whether it’s an ugh! Or a yay! Valentine’s Day is everywhere. You can’t escape it, colours of red, pink, and bursting hearts, filled with messages of love, love, love.

Here’s a challenge: extend Valentine’s Day to Valentine’s week, or even better, Valentine’s month! It doesn’t simply mean buying mounds of chocolate everyday, or teddy bears galore. It actually means putting a bit of extra love into the things you do for yourself and for others. Most importantly, take care of your heart! Indulge yes, but be wise, don’t overindulge.

Here are a few tips to get you started.

1. Buy a heart shaped cookie cutter. Whether your making egg sammies in the morning for you, your honey, your kids, roommate or all of the above, use the cutter to make heart shaped bread and heart shaped eggs and remind those dear to you, how much you love them right at the beginning of the day.
2. For each day of the week or month, which ever challenge you choose, slip a Hershey’s Kiss chocolate into your loved ones lunch or jacket pocket right before they step out the door but exchange that thin slip of paper with one of your own. Each day list a reason why you love your special person.
3. Make heart-healthy dinners each day of the week. The Heart and Stroke Foundation has some yummy sounding recipes like this Cod with Potatoes and Fennel.
4. Personalized conversation hearts. Just like the personalized messages in the Hershey’s Kisses, you can do the same by making your own Conversation Hearts. This can also be done with small homemade heart shaped cookies, or even better, use heart shaped ShaSha Snap Cookies, cover with icing made from powdered sugar, water and food colouring and add your special messages.
5. Go out for brunch. Let someone else take care of the cooking at the end of your challenge week, or month. Take that time to bask in the presence of the ones you hold dear. Tell funny stories, laugh and fill the time with love. Invite your closest friends to join, or even Mom and Dad, sisters, brothers, cousins, and any other family members. Get everyone you love together and enjoy each other’s company.

Try out some of these easy ideas, whether you love or loathe Valentine’s Day. The day itself may not be important, but the people in your life truly are, so celebrate them.