We all know that holidays are about traditions: turkey on Thanksgiving, kissing at midnight on New Year's Eve, fireworks on July 4th, etc. And then there's . . . Valentine's Day (insert dramatic movie music here). Typical traditions for this "couple's holiday" include flowers, candy, and other kinds of lovey-dovey romantic fluff. But what about us single folk? Where is the love for us?
If you are a single woman, thus far, the date of February 14 may have amounted to nothing more than a sappy Lifetime movie and a cheap box of chocolates you picked up at Rite Aid. Well, you know what I say to that? Those days are over! I'm gonna teach you a new way to view V-day.
When I was in my early 20s, my girlfriends and I started a little tradition of our own. We were all single, so we decided to make it something worth looking forward to. Something I like to call "Bachelorettemas." On Valentine's Day we would all get together and have a fabulous dinner (with cocktails, of course), exchange fun little gifts, and then we hung out in our fave bar the rest of the night. We danced, we drank, we flirted with every unattached guy in sight. It wasn't a pity party. It was a celebration—a bachelorette party where no one was engaged. Plus, presents!
Trust me when I tell you it was a total blast. So much so that when a Valentine's Day would roll around and some of us were in relationships, we would actually get bummed out that we were missing Bachelorettemas. I remember being with a boyfriend of mine at a fancy romantic dinner and thinking, "I wish I was with the girls." I know that may sound harsh, but, seriously, in a relationship, there are plenty of opportunities to spend time just the two of you. Anniversaries, birthdays—or really any Friday or Saturday night. And frankly, if you need a holiday in order to get romance out of your partner, maybe you should reassess your relationship.
Even if you don't have a similar tradition, Valentine's Day doesn't have to be a bummer. In case you forgot, you are not the only single in the city. All those singles you see every weekend don't all of a sudden fall into relationships on February 14 each year. So why not throw a singles party? Celebrate the day your way. Post an invite on your Facebook page and invite everyone to get dressed up sexy. (Girls love to dress up, and guys . . . love to see girls dressed up.) Pick a club or bar to spend the evening. Or better yet, ask your favorite hotspot if they are doing anything for singles on that date. That's what I did, and now I am hosting a "sexy party" (as Family Guy's Stewie would say) on Friday, February 11, at Angels Rock Bar! Consider yourself invited. More a partygoer than a thrower? Come to the premium singles event of the year, the Baltimore magazine "Top Singles" happy hour, Thursday, February 10 at Talara.
So with these new options, how will you spend your Valentine's Day this year? No sitting home sad and bitter because you aren't in a relationship. Start a new Valentine's Day tradition and celebrate being single and loving the life you live.
