I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Valentine’s day gets a bad rap. Everyone seems to look at it like it’s just a day for the candy companies to steal your money and the flower shops to raise their prices. While I get the frustration with over-commercialized holidays, we really only have ourselves to blame. If we didn’t rush out at the last minute to get flowers and a card, they wouldn’t raise the prices so much. At the end of the day, those places are just trying to make a living. And they’re going to do what they can to make more money. There’s nothing wrong with making money. However, there are a lot of ways to celebrate this holiday without spending a dime, and you’ll be sending love. There’s nothing better than sending love to someone. That’s why I’m sharing alternative valentine’s day ideas that are actually meaningful.
That’s why I’ve rounded up Valentine’s donation gifts. The biggest one being that you can send a virtual card to a St. Jude’s patient for absolutely nothing.
Quit looking at Valentine’s day as a reason to complain. We have 364 other days to do that. Just look at it as a day to share some love. I’m challenging you to brighten someone’s day instead of complaining that you’re single on Valentine’s day. Or complaining that you “have” to find a gift.
As an added benefit, you can download free cards at the bottom of this post as well. Download, print, and give.
At this point, I’m going to assume you’re going with the second choice since you’re still reading. 😉
Seeing this is what spurred the post for me. I had something else entirely planned for this week. But when I saw you could do this, I knew I needed to shift my mindset and share this idea instead.
This is amazing because it’s also totally free. It will cost you nothing to send a cute virtual card and brighten someone’s day. Head to the St. Jude’s website and they’ll walk you through the process too.
I’m not going to lie to you, this one will cost you money. However, you can buy a tree and plant it together with someone you love. What’s so cool about this is that you can literally watch it grow.
When I was little my parents took me by the house we lived in up until I was three. My dad would tell me about how he planted the tree that was in the front yard of that house. I always thought that was so cool. The tree was huge when I saw it!
Get your tree from the Arbor Day Foundation, or just buy one you like together and plant it in your yard. It will be a reminder day after day of your love. Plus, you’re helping the environment. It’s a win-win.
Now, if you do love chocolate and want to indulge in that this Valentine’s Day, but get cranky about the ones at the grocery store that you waited last minute for, then this is for you.
Order a Chocolate box that will provide weekend meals to a child in need. You get to eat the chocolate while making a difference. That seems like an excellent idea. Maybe buy one for every month of the year. You can send them to those you love as well.
While this might not be the best idea this year what with COVID, it would be great for another year (so just tuck it away for next year). If you don’t have any kids of your own, then offer to watch someone else’s for free (someone you know and trust and they trust you).
They can then go out for Valentine’s Day without having to pay for a sitter. This will cost you nothing but an evening and can be fun. Just be sure to pick kids you like. 😉
Now, you may have to plan ahead for this one. There’s several places that you can send Valentine’s (non-virtual) cards to and they’ll get them to those in need. Some need them by the end of January so if you’re reading this after that, then save it for next year as well. This is great idea to do with the kids. They can make the Valentine’s each year. Here’s a few places
See, there’s really no need to get wrapped up in the commercialization of the holiday. There’s just too many other options for Valentine’s donation gifts. Try to do one of these things instead.
Shop small this holiday with our print shop! Drop your email below for 20% off your order. You’ll find cards for everyone you love.
Instagram is the best place to follow along and get to know me personally. Let’s be friends!
