Make this valentine Very special for your familiy

In just a few days, February 14th will turn on our calendars once again. it's time to think about celebrating Valentine's Day and make it special.

I realized that Valentine's Day didn't have to be revolve around bouquets of roses and teddy bears holding hearts but with a little creativity and thoughtfulness can made this day very special and memorable.

Here are eight ways to make Valentine's Day more meaningful for your family.

Celebrate as a family

Valentine's day is meant for romantic love , and certainly is golden tiem to express affection for that special someone. Our children, however, aren't interested in that aspect of this holiday, and this is the perfect time to instill in them the long-lasting strength of love within the family.

1. Fill a jar of sweet words.

Repurpose a jar that once held a sweet jam into a jar that holds sweet words for the family. You could have a theme for your jar - for example, "20 Things Daddy Does That Make Me Smile."  or "10 Reason Why Your are special for Me" . Decorate the jar with tiissue paper , handcraft drawing , old catender some decoupage.

Although this gift is presented on Valentine's Day, it offers little words of affirmation for as long as the recipient wants to hold on to it!

2. Craft a box of memories.

Encourage family members to write these memories down and contribute other sorts of memorabilia as well. Children from preschool age on up can contribute the memories that mean the most to them

Make plans to spend time together on Valentine's Day going through making box of favorate family memories and discussing some of the best times you have shared as a family.

3. Write an emotions book.

All of this talk about love makes an excellent jumping off point for talking about all kinds of feelings. 

Parents of younger  children could play a game to express the feeling in ceative way on page. this pages offers valuable talk time as you get to know each other a little better by exploring feelings.

 What better day than Valentine's Day to look back on the ways your family loved each other in the previous year?

Celebrate in your community

Celebrating love within the family meets a tremendous need for each of us.  And with our own love-tanks filled, we may be inspired to move beyond the walls of our home to bless our communities.

4. Plant a seed.

A few years ago, a eco-minded friend of mine shared the idea of replacing candy and flowers with seed packets. We all love to receive blooming bouquets, but there is something special about giving a gift that invites participation from the recipient.

For my daughter's first Valentine's Day party at school, she will be giving little envelopes containing seeds of her favorite flowers - sunflowers.  We were delighted when our sunflowers bloomed last summer, and we hope the families in our community who receive these seeds will enjoy the simple rewards of an amazing display of nature's beauty.

5. Tend to others.

Visit a home for the elderly or a hospital wing on Valentine's Day.  Take homemade Valentines with you, or bring along the supplies to make Valentines with the people you are visiting.  So often, the very presence of others is more of a gift than a glittery piece of cardboard, so don't worry too much about what you have made - just focus on connecting with others.

8. Express gratitude.

There are so many people in our communities who quietly do their jobs so that our lives are a little easier.  Valentine's Day is a great day to take homemade cookies to civil servants, librarians, police officers, fire men, members of the clergy, and others who don't often receive the recognition the deserve.

Let's show our children that Valentine's Day can be about expressing gratitude, not all about what they have received.

In what unique and meaningful ways does your family celebrate Valentine's Day? Do you have some time-honored traditions for this holiday you can share?