North Texas Daily

I swear I’m not a Valentine’s Day hater, but I can’t picture the holiday without thinking back to high school and seeing the halls littered with Walgreens roses and tiny, 5-foot girls parading around with the biggest stuffed animals you have ever seen.

Hating Valentine’s Day stopped being cool in 2013 after people started making their own parties to celebrate being single. Now as an adult, I dig the aesthetic of the holiday and the red/pink/purple hearts that are plastered everywhere.

However, Valentine’s Day has become boring and unimaginative. Any basic girl can go to Walmart and pick out a pre-screened trio of chocolates, flowers and stuffed animals guaranteed to do the bare minimum. Not even good chocolate either. It’s usually the cheap Russel Stover brand with 15 chocolates, none of them mapped out or labeled, so you just have to take a chance and potentially bite into one of the nasty cream ones. Eugh.

My point is everyone buys and does the same things. What says “I appreciate you” like thinking outside of the box?

Get a tattoo

Okay, hear me out. I’m just trying to rip off the band-aid. What’s more memorable than the painful experience of getting a tattoo? Tattoos have become more accepted into our society and act as a snapshot of a memory, regardless of meaning behind it. Buy a tattoo for your significant other as a gift or get matching ones. This goes for platonic relationships, too. There’s nothing wrong with spending Valentine’s Day with friends, and matching friendship tattoos are this decade’s friendship bracelets. Except, you know, permanent. Denton offers a variety of tattoos parlors with great artists, from Dark Age Tattoo Studio to Denton Tattoo Co.

Picnic

Weather experts (the weather app) report a pleasantly warm and breezy day for the holiday upon us, and the wise would take advantage of it before Texas goes through another mood swing and decides it’s winter again. The Denton County Courthouse located in the center of the Square is a popular destination for relaxing on the lawn for a reason. Take advantage of the grass upkeep and bring a multi-course meal for two.

Brunch

Restaurants are expected to be swamped on the evening of Valentine’s Day, not surprisingly. Instead, start the day off sweet with some coffee and French toast. Places like Old West Cafe will probably be packed, but quaint cafes around the Square like Upper Park Café offer delicious items like its signature pecan coffee. If your sweetie’s got a sweet tooth for pastries, try the neighborhood bakeshop Ravelin Bakery.

Evening in

Why brave the crowded streets when you can plan the perfect night in? This isn’t your average Netflix-and-chill when you go the extra mile to cook up something special. Or maybe you decide to whip out an old family baking recipe as a surprise. Cooking together is guaranteed romantic, or so romantic comedies tell me.

The best Valentine’s Day plans are the ones tailor-made for your significant other (or friends), and they usually stand to be the most memorable. I’m here to fight the long-standing myth of Valentine’s Day needing to be some giant occasion with lots of money spent as a grand gesture. Valentine’s Day is a holiday to make a little effort to show the ones you love that you love them.

Featured Image: Deanna Smith, formerly of Dark Age Tattoo, tattoos a woman on the top of her back. File.