Romantic Valentine's Day at Home

Since many restaurants and theaters are overcrowded with couples celebrating Valentine's Day, it makes sense to make your sweetheart feel truly special at home.

Have a Fireside Picnic

If you have a fireplace, rekindle your spark by pulling the sofa in front of the roaring fire and have some champagne on ice standing by. For an added touch, serve strawberries to bring out the champagne's flavor, or drop pomegranate seeds into the glass to tinge the bubbly pink.

If you are the cooking type, make a home-cooked Valentine's Day meal. If cooking isn't your forte, order out from your favorite place, but ditch the containers and re-plate the meal elegantly on nice plates.

For an extra special touch, write a love letter that you can read by the fire or have a book of love poetry ready.

Make It a Spa Night

When your sweetie gets home, draw a hot bath filled with rose petals. Since roses are so expensive around Valentine's Day, ask your florist for a package of plain rose petals, short-stemmed roses, or for "seconds," which are roses that are slightly bruised since you will not be giving them in a traditional way. Have a glass of wine and some chocolate to nibble on by the side of the bathtub.

Meanwhile, prepare the bedroom for a massage session. Line the bed with towels fresh out of the dryer so that they are warm. Get a basin full of warm water near the bed, several washcloths, and some great spa products.

Start off with an exfoliating rub, then massage in a great body moisturizer. You may also want to throw in a foot rub for extra brownie points. After all is said and done, you can enjoy takeout in bed or end the night with a romantic movie.

Prepare the House

Turn the lights out in most of the house, and replace the lights in the hallway or stairway leading to the bedroom with low wattage bulbs. If you can't easily change them, use candles for the route instead.

You can also scatter rose petals leading from the front door to the bedroom. Put on something sexy and lay out something sexy for your partner to wear. Ideally, it is nice if it is a gist of something new, but that is not necessary if you have plenty of suggestive nightwear already.

Make some food that you can feed each other, such as chocolates, almonds, raspberries, strawberries, and wine. For an extra special touch, dip strawberries in melted chocolate a few hours before your date and then chill in the fridge.Fill the bedroom with a roomful of flickering candles and turn the lights out. Play some relaxing music to set the mood. Get a new set of pearl, gold, or bronze silk, satin, or sateen sheets, because they create an environment of luxurious romance for the night. Steer clear of gray, pink, or yellow. If you can, even if it's just for the night, add a draping canopy over the bed.

Source: TheSpruce.com