Ad – this is a post written in collaboration with Moonpig, who sent us a Valentine’s Day gift hamper and a £50 gift voucher to spend on their site.
Long gone are the days when I turned my nose up at Valentine’s Day celebrations. There was a time when I tried to be such a ‘cool’ girlfriend, and not buy into the commercialised holiday, proud to not need a dedicated day to showcase our love for each other. It was just another Hallmark holiday as far as I was concerned. Now? I feel a little differently. This year in particular, I’m embracing Valentine’s Day. And luckily for us, Moonpig stepped in to help us celebrate in style. Let’s face it… we may as well make the most of it as there’s not much else to get excited about in lockdown.
Since becoming parents, finding time to dedicate to each other has often been a challenge. And finding time whilst parenting during a lockdown? Even harder! Eleven years ago, I remember sitting at my little University accommodation desk one evening, with a Pritt stick and an array of pens making these I love you cards for Jim. This year, I feel like I’d barely have time to read them let alone craft anything. If there’s a lesson I’ve learned the hard way this past year, it’s knowing how to identify the areas in your life you can ease the pressure a bit. This year, I’m not attempting to reinvent the wheel, and I’m taking the easy option by sourcing our Valentines treats from Moonpig.
Valentines Gifts from Moonpig
Moonpig has a vast selection of Valentines gifts available on their website to help you find something that can be easily delivered, without having to rely on what you can find in the Supermarket. Whether you fancy something traditional like chocolates or something a bit different (I ordered Jim a Bonsai Tree Growing Kit in honour of our recent obsession with Netflix’s Cobra Kai show! If you’re a fan of The Karate Kid and haven’t yet seen it, get on it! It’s essential lockdown viewing), there are gifts to suit a wide range of tastes and budgets.
Valentine’s Day cards by Moonpig
I’ll be honest, I found it really hard to decide which card to go for when picking one for Jim. The choice is so vast on Moonpig’s website. Did I want something cute? Sentimental? Cheeky? Rude? Funny? Personalised? In the end, I went for simple yet classy. Although there is the option to have the card sent already typed with your personalised message, I opted to have the card sent to me open so that I could handwrite it myself. I may want to make this year as easy to celebrate as possible, but I’m still a sucker for something handwritten!
My First Bouquet of Red Roses
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, I love Jim, but he is not very skilled in the art of present buying. He means well, and he tries, but… he quite often misses the mark. So, it was a bit of a relief when Moonpig offered to send me some goodies, removing Jim’s questionable taste out of the Valentine’s equation! Imagine my delight when a selection of lovely gifts arrived on our doorstep, including a Birchbox Date Night make up set, a bottle of Valentines edition Edinburgh Gin, a scrumptious Yankee Candle and my first ever bouquet of red roses. What a treat!
The bouquet of red roses was an extra special delight. I know red roses are so synonymous with Valentine’s Day but I can’t think of a time when Jim has ever bought me red roses before. I have probably, at some point, made some kind of self-defensive remark about not liking red roses just to shield myself from any disappointment should I not ever receive them – so it’s probably of my own doing, and anyway, Jim knows that I’m rather the fan of a cheery bunch of tulips… but still, when that doorbell rang and the box of roses arrived, I did feel like I had stepped into a fairy tale. No matter your flower preference, take a look at the Moonpig Valentines flower selection for a bit of inspiration.
Our Valentine’s Day Plans
With months of not getting dressed up for any nights out or fancy restaurant meals, I can’t wait to put the Birchbox make up products to the test next Sunday evening and make a very special effort for our date night in. Moonpig also sent us a £20 Date Night In voucher, so we’ve got some puzzles, quizzes and entertainment lined up for us whilst we sip on gin in the romantic flickering of candlelight. Keep all your fingers crossed that Pickle goes down to bed at a reasonable time, because I’d just like an evening off parenting duty for the first time in what must be almost a year!
And to ensure our day gets off to a deliciously sweet start, I even ordered an Iced Cinnamon bun kit. Ever since our friend Emma baked some for us, Jim’s been keen to make our own. It’s not quite the same as baking them from scratch (which is what Emma did!) but like I said… I’m making life easy for myself this year. And so should you.
Whatever your plans are for Valentines Day this year, I hope you can carve out the time to celebrate. During this past year, when we’ve all spent far more time with our significant other than we perhaps thought we ever would, dedicating some time to appreciate each other and reconnect even when stresses and tensions are high is so important. I vowed to never take Jim for granted, and that’s more important this year than ever.