19 Romantic Ways to Celebrate Valentine's Day in a Long-Distance Relationship

Show your significant other you care even when you're miles away.

By Taylor Andrews, Brooke Shunatona, Mili Godio
26 January, 2020
19 Romantic Ways to Celebrate Valentine's Day in a Long-Distance Relationship

Valentine’s Day is the epitome of romance, cuddles and tenderness all rolled into one exciting, PDA-filled jamboree of a holiday. Even if you say you hate Valentine’s Day, the truth is, you probably sorta still like parts of it at least a little bit (hello, flowers? Teddy bears? CHOCOLATE?). Whether you have a bf/gf or just a special someone you want to celebrate (yes, including yourself or a bff), it’s the perfect day to go all out and throw love and appreciation around like confetti. But what happens when the one person you want to spend this day with lives too many miles away?

Although it’s not impossible by any means, being in an LDR is really freaking tough. And somehow it gets even harder on certain days of the year, like birthdays, anniversaries and, of course, the one day of the year solely created for celebrating couples. But thanks to the creativity of romance and the technology of the 21st century, it’s easier than ever to have cutesy dates, plan sweet surprises and keep that spark alive no matter where you are in the world. Just because you and bae aren't physically together for the festivities doesn't mean you still can't partake in them. Here are le best, absolute cutest ways to celebrate Valentine's Day from afar, even when you're in a LDR.

1. Stream a movie or show at the same time online. So, you’re dying to watch a new series that just dropped on Netflix, but you want to enjoy it with your person. You can maintain communication through text or FaceTime them so you can get all their juicy reactions, and even eat the same snacks to make it feel like you’re really together.

2. Play a card game together. Both of you can head over to your nearest store (or hit up Amazon Prime, obvi) and grab a game of Cards Against Humanity, Truth or Dare or Taboo to add some excitement and competition to your night of video-chatting.

3. Take a matching pic in different places. Put your photography and Photoshop skills to the test by meshing together two separately taken pics in completely different locations. You can play around with poses, objects and scenery to create an artsy version of a photo you two would have taken if you were physically together.

4. Craft together. Grab your crafting supplies and get that creativity flowing. Your virtual crafting date can include painting on a canvas, sculpting with clay or decorating a plain box or scrapbook. You can even turn to Pinterest for some cute DIY project ideas that you’ll both enjoy. Bonus: You can gift them to each other next time you see him/her!

5. Enjoy a sunrise or sunset together. Whether it’s at the beach, on a rooftop or from your bedroom window, coordinate a time to video chat that coincides with the sun setting or rising. If time zones are a problem (because they always are), share your sunset/sunrise with them through video and vice versa.

6. Sing each other cheesy love songs on karaoke night. There’s no better way to tell someone you love them by singing beautifully (or horribly) in public. Take a trip to your local karaoke bar and video chat while singing jams like Mariah Carey’s “We Belong Together” or Vanessa Carlton’s “A Thousand Miles.” You may butcher the songs, but it’s the thought that counts.

7. Gift them a Spotify playlist. Include all the bops that remind you of your boo, plus the songs that have a special meaning to you and your relationship—like, the song that was playing the first time you were in the car together, or maybe even the song a passerby was humming while you shared your first kiss. Keep the playlist private between only you two and listen whenever you're feeling lonely.

8. Arrange a FaceTime dinner date. Amp up your normal FaceTime sessions by "going on a date together." Both of you can cook your own favorite meals and then set them up in front of your camera to have a virtual dinner date.

9. Zomato or Swiggy them their favorite meal. If you're not big on cooking, you can still have a virtual dinner date. Punch in their address on your app and surprise them by sending their go-to take-out order. Nothing says love like Pad Thai.

10. Make a photo spread of all your favorite memories. Think: coasters from bars, plane tickets from flying to see each other, football ticket stubs, photos etc. and collage them on a canvas they can hang up in their room. Construct all of this on Valentine's Day, or gift it to them and talk about all the memories via FaceTime.

11. Write in a journal for 365 days, or a week, or a month, or whatever timeline makes sense to you. Document all your thoughts, how your day went, what you're thinking, what reminds you of your S.O., and gift it to your partner when you've filled up all the pages. This will give them insight into your brain and remind them how often they consume your thoughts.

12. Go to the movies. While you may not be physically able to go together, decide on a movie and go see it around the same time. Then, return home after the movie and discuss the plot and what you enjoyed or didn't via FaceTime with your partner. It's like you were actually there together!

13. Send a video message. Maybe you're singing and dancing to your couple song, or maybe you're reading out loud a love note that you wrote. Sometimes it can be so much more intimate and lovely for your partner to see and hear you, rather than to read something themselves.

14. Since you don't get to spend a ton of quality time together, instead of gifting him or her something tangible, give them an experience you can enjoy together. It's easy to want to hole up in your apartment and hang out all weekend, but an experience like tickets to a concert or comedy club or a helicopter ride (if you're feeling like Christian Grey) will create lasting memories you two can share for many years to come.

15. Send him or her something handmade. A gift doesn't need to be expensive to be good. A heartfelt card or a photo album, or any gift that you've made yourself shows you put time and thought into your gift and will serve as a reminder of how much you care even when you're not around.

16. Mail him/her letters leading up to V-Day. When the only form of contact between you two is communication over the phone or computer, switching it up can be a little tricky. A week or so leading up to V-Day, start sending your significant other love letters (or print out pictures of you two and send them as postcards) in the mail. Receiving mail that isn't a bill these days is rare, which will make your love note even more special and fun to receive.

17. Mail him/her a care package of their favorite things. Fill a box with a few of their favorite things, whether it's sweets you can only get from a local shop by your place or a sweatshirt with your signature scent sprayed on it, little mementos will let them know you're thinking of them.

18. Give him/her a bunch of letters to open at different times. Long-distance relationships are as hard as they sound, and spending holidays like Valentine's Day apart make them even harder. Fill envelopes with small gifts and sweet letters to cheer up your loved one based on how they're feeling at that moment. Label the outside of each envelope with instructions of when to open them such as "when you're missing me" and "when you're feeling lonely."

19. Count down the days until you see each other again by filling a jar with slips of paper detailing things you love about him/her. Write as many notes as you have days left, so each day he/she can draw one out of the jar to make passing the time a little bit easier. Send him/her the jar in the mail or give it to them in person when you see each other before Valentine's Day.

20. Be the first person they hear in the morning and the last person they hear at night. Get up a little early on V-Day and call your significant other first thing. If you're used to saving your daily phone calls for nighttime, this will be a sweet little surprise to wake up to. After your busy day, fall asleep talking on the phone at night so it almost feels like you're right there with them.

21. Plan a V-Day celebration a little off-season. You don't have to celebrate Valentine's Day only on Feb. 14. If the next time you'll see each other is in March, surprise him/her and a plan a full out Valentine's Day date for then instead. They really won't see it coming and that'll make it all the better.

22. Send a package full of goodies and love notes to your guy/girl's roommate or friend, and have them lay out the gifts all over your significant other's room when they're not looking. He or she will be shocked when they walk in to find handwritten letters and thoughtful surprises from you.

23. Take advantage of delivery services and surprise him/her with their favorite adult bev. Try a delivery service to drop off a bottle of your loved one's favorite alcohol so you two can celebrate together and cheers over FaceTime.

24. Plan a surprise trip to see him/her. What is more romantic than showing up when you're not expecting to see each other? If you can swing the expense of a plane ticket and the time off from work, the ultimate gift you can give your significant other is time spent together on arguably the most romantic day of the year.

25. Even better, plan a trip for you both to meet somewhere else. Flying or driving back and forth can get a bit redundant, so celebrate Valentine's Day with a trip elsewhere instead. Even if it's just a staycation somewhere local, a change of scenery will make it feel more like a special occasion than your usual trips back and forth.

Credit: Cosmopolitan
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