With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, there’s a rush in our Irish home to get decorations up and plans made. I don’t know about you, but we don’t buy into the whole commercial-ness of the celebration. We prefer, instead, to get back to our roots and do it “old style”.
Banish the over-priced roses and bring back the free-flowing bouquets of long ago. Forgotten flowers like calla lilies, peonies, hydrangea, ranunculus, astilbe, and dahlias are simply stunning and less expensive too.
Photo Credit: The Knot
Write a letter and fill it with love. Whether it’s you doing the writing or it’s your kids making a card, a personally penned poem or heart-felt sentiment is so much nicer than a Hallmark card.
Great Kids Crafts from Pinterest.
Turn up the tunes and dance in your sitting (living) room. When was the last time you stopped everything and took your beloved in your arms for a good old-fashioned waltz around the kitchen? It may sound silly but it’s those little moments, when we step outside of our comfort zones, that we remember most. A dance is free but the memory is priceless.
Check out this playlist from 8 Tracks Radio.
Photo Credit: 8tracks.com
If the weather allows, gather up some comfy blankets, fill up those hot water bottles, grab a bottle of your favourite bubbly (nonalcoholic for the kids…of course!) and head out to the back garden for a bit of stargazing. If you have a small fire pit, all the better, stoke it up and share stories of days gone by and roast marshmallows while you’re at it.
Champagne from Brown Thomas, Blankets from Avoca Handweavers and Hot Water Bottle from Dunnes Stores.
And finally, for a bit of long-forgotten romance with a spiritual twist, attend mass on Valentine’s Day at the Catholic church on Whitefriar Street. The mass in honour of St. Valentine, whose relics have been enshrined in the church since 1836, and a special blessing of wedding rings immediately following is one way to pay homage to the vows you made on the day you wed…and it’s great historical trip for families with young children too.
Photo Credit: The Irish Province of the Order of Carmelites
Notes:
Just in case you couldn’t see the links, here they are again:
Love song playlist at 8tracks.com
Heart-shaped hot water bottle from Dunnes Stores
Details of Valentine’s Day mass at Whitefriar Street Church
Champagne and Lauderee Macarons at Brown Thomas
Gorgeous throws and blankets at Avoca Handweavers
In an Irish Home 
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