Valentine’s Day 2024: embrace your cheesiness, alone, with your significant other, or with friends and family
14•02•2024
Every year it comes around again, with its old-fashioned heart-shaped chocolate boxes and endless “I love you” teddy bears: it’s Valentine’s Day. What if, though, instead of fighting the whole idea, we just embraced it?
It doesn’t matter if you’ve been together for 64 years, have been separated for 2 months, are in a blended family with 7 children, or are negotiating a complex polyamorous relationship with your 3 cats, there’s a bit of cheesiness in you that’s just waiting to come out! Whether you're flying solo, celebrating with your soulmate, or spending the time with friends or family, this year we're diving deep into the guilty pleasures of Cupid’s favourite day!
Flying solo on Valentine’s Day:
getting your chocolate on (literally!)
Hear us out: Why eat chocolate when you can just slather it on? In 2024, elevate your detox game to new heights and get wild: book a chocolate massage at your favorite spa (yes, there is such a thing), or make your own cocoa mask recipe at home.
You’ll need:
1 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tbsp honey
1 tablespoon crème fraîche or plain yogourt
1 tbsp coffee grounds
1 tbsp of self-love (go ahead, you’re worth it!)
Mix, spread on your face, and let sit for 15 minutes.
Are your feetsies feeling neglected? No problem: take a quick trip to the pharmacy and ask for a cocoa butter repair balm. Let us know how that goes. With a turmeric & ginger shooter, a few cucumber sandwiches, a Ricardo-inspired chocolate cake in a cup, a few lavender candles, and your favourite Harlequin romance novel, your cozy Valentine’s Day promises to bring a breath of fresh air … if you don’t forget to rinse off that cocoa mask, that is.
Valentine’s Day for two: naughty foods
and a wedding menu
The million-dollar question: do all those aphrodisiac ingredients work? To find out once and for all, spice up your romantic meal with a few … stimulating … ingredients: cocoa, celery, asparagus, oysters, garlic, thyme, vanilla, ginger, maca root, almonds, cinnamon, honey, red wine, and saffron (but please, for the love of all that is good: not all at once).
To rekindle that old flame, whip out the crystal goblets, white tablecloth, and gold-plated china, and pretend you’re celebrating your wedding—again or for the first time. To help you prepare your meal, you can even get inspiration from our dishes: beet, Rocha pear with honey, and fresh goat’s cheese mousse for starters, Alaskan cod filet with saffron bruschetta for the main course, and assorted macarons and tablets of Tanzanian chocolate for the closing act. To seal the deal, all you have to do is say “Yes, dear” when your significant other offers to do the dishes.
*A final tip before heading upstairs: if you’re going to carry the bride in your arms, it’s best to remain frugal throughout the meal.
Valentine’s Day with friends: cult classics and bonfires
Titanic, When Harry met Sally, My Best Friend’s Wedding, Brokeback Mountain, Ghost, Puppy Love, or Free Willy: no matter what kind of movie (or type of movie) you’re into, it’s time to host a big (emotional?) group movie night. To accompany your double or triple feature, we recommend:
Neapolitan ice cream
Is your circle of single friends growing too big to fit on your couch? Start with a cocktail party, then project your favorite movies on a giant screen made from a white sheet set up in the backyard. If you’re worried about getting cold because it’s February, you can always improvise a bonfire fueled with mementos left by your former lovers—photos, toothbrushes, and forgotten pyjamas will do the trick.
Valentine’s Day with the family: 24 hours
of the little things
Little Sacha gets up at 4 a.m., big Thomas leaves without even having breakfast, sporty Marion gets back around 6 p.m. after her 3 Zumba classes, and their grandma wants to tell them she loves them over FaceTime before that? If your family is best described by the tornado emoji, a 24-hour Valentine’s Day celebration is for you.
For Sacha, it’ll be a wake-up call with heart-shaped pancakes and strawberries (preferably prepared the day before, since he has breakfast at 4:30 a.m.); for Thomas, a little note and a few cookies slipped into his lunch; for Marion, a chocolate protein smoothie; and for Grandma, an invitation to sleep over … she’ll be able to pinch those cheeks as much as she likes at dessert time, when you’re all gathered around the chocolate fountain you rented from the local chocolatier (that’s the icing on your cake!) Little Sacha may be harder to put to bed after falling into the fountain with his mouth wide open, but at least Grandma will be there to babysit the next morning!
