The best Covid friendly Valentine’s Day activities for family, friends and bae

Movie night! I know what you’re thinking – “I’ve been watching movies with my family for the past year, what’s makes it so special?”

Well, remember cinemas? Create that movie-going experience – at home. Make paper tickets for your family, set up a blanket fort with cushions to lounge on, and hang up fairy lights (the Christmas ones might still be lying around). Make popcorn and drizzle melted chocolate on it, and tell everyone to dress either in their cosiest pyjamas, or their fanciest outfits. It’s probably been a while since Mum has worn her favourite jewellery – she would probably like an excuse!

Set up an art jam, at home! All you need are some canvases (or sheets of sturdy paper), newspaper to protect the floor, and paint.

Challenge your family members to create something unusual (like, say, a skateboarding penguin) and see how everyone interprets it. While you’re painting, sip on orange juice mixed with Sprite for a bubbly delight, or a home-made fruit-infused sparkling water.

As an extra challenge, give yourselves a time limit for different activities, or set an alarm to go off every 15 minutes, when everyone needs to pass their canvas to the person on the right, and carry on their piece. This way, everyone’s personality is reflected in each painting.

See what kind of fun things you can create with your family.

Choose a district you’re not familiar with (if you’re afraid of getting lost, pick one that’s on an MTR line so it’s easy for you to find your footing).

Grab a bubble tea or coffee and just walk around! You can set a spending limit for the day – say, HK$100 – and go in and poke around any small shops you might find. (We once found White Rabbit-scented perfume this way, for only HK$20!) You’ll also be supporting small businesses.

Bonus: You can be socially-distant, but still very much together.

Your guide to a budget-friendly Valentine’s Day

Thankfully, the current social distancing guidelines of two people at a gathering is perfect for a date.

Grab a blanket and snacks and find an open space at your favourite park. You can bring a deck of cards and play “Go Fish”, or some books so you can relax and read together (another fun activity: when’s the last time you were read to? Maybe you can read to each other – make sure to do the voices, too).

Doesn't this look SO relaxing?

If you’re being extra cautious for an at-risk individual, or your SO/friend is far away, move your date online.

We’re grateful we have the internet to keep us connected during this tough time – you can watch Netflix together using the Netflix Party extension for Chrome (it also creates a chat box so you can talk to each other at the same time), play a game like Words with Friends on your phones, and share memes and watch shows on Instagram messenger!

We’re big fans of video calls on Instagram, where you can do things such as watch shows like Cardi Tries and Here for it with Avani Gregg, and share posts you’ve recently liked or saved.

The best Valentine’s ideas for your SO based on their sign

Make your own Valentine’s cards – and actually put them in the post.

You probably get a million emails every day, but when’s the last time you got an actual, physical letter or card? Go old-school, grab some paper and crayons, and make cards yourself!

You could use some classic phrases, like “Bee my Valentine”, “I choo choo choose you” or “You have a pizza my heart”, or go for a 2021 theme: “I’d quarantine with you” or “You’re worth the last roll of toilet paper”.

A home-made Valentine is sure to bring a smile to anyone’s face!