Valentine’s Party Ideas
My youngest daughter has a summer birthday, which means that she never gets to celebrate her birthday at school with her classmates. No special treats, no day of everyone being extra nice to you because it’s your birthday. It probably meant more to me than it did to her, but when she started school, I wanted to find a reason for a celebration with her and her school friends. Given my obsession with all things relating to Valentine’s Day, and because I’m a February baby myself, I decided to start hosting an annual Valentine’s themed party for my daughter and her besties from school. This started in preschool and continued on for the first few years of elementary school until she got too cool for her mom to throw her a party (eye roll). There was always lots of heart-shaped foods, and Valentine crafts.
Personally, I would find any excuse to throw another Valentine’s Day party, and I just might have to! This year, I’m turning 50 (yikes!) so that party theme has already been set with a 1975 Bohemian Disco party (stay tuned for details!), but maybe next year I will go all in on hearts, reds, pinks, and all things Valentine-related (watch out Target Dollar spot)…in the meantime, join me as I reminisce about Valentine’s parties past…
The key to any Valentine’s Day party is obviously hearts. From the food to the decor, the more hearts the better. Heart-shaped cookies, cheese cut into hearts with cookie cutters, grapes and grape tomatoes cut at just the right angle and fastened with a toothpick to create a heart (I was especially proud of those!). Of course you can always find an abundance of heart-shaped or heart-adorned plates, napkins, cups, bowls, and goodie bags.
A balance of sweet treats and healthy snacks is always a challenge with kids’ parties, but I managed to pull it off pretty well (if I do say so myself). Typically, if fruits and vegetables are in fun shapes, they will get eaten! Pink, red, and chocolate foods should be the jumping off point for the menu.
If you don’t have hours (or days) to channel your inner Martha Stewart and make/bake all the food, there are always plenty of packaged heart-shaped goodies! And for the decor, the dollar section of Target literally overflows with Valentine-themed products this time of year. I like to hit up Hobby Lobby and Michaels too to score clearance deals just before or right after February 14th to stock up for future parties. But, if you are too busy or just don’t have a knack for putting it all together, I love the party boxes that The Real Happy Hours offers - everything is curated for you so you don’t have to make a ton of trips to the store or spend hours searching the internet!
Homegoods is another spot that never disappoints when I’m looking for themed party picks (decorated toothpicks), cupcake liners, cute plates & napkins, decorations, and unique food offerings. And, of course Amazon is typically a great source as well, especially if you need a large quantity of something. A bouquet of fresh flowers is a nice touch!
Plan Valentine-themed crafts and games to keep everyone entertained. There is something so nostalgic about homemade Valentine cards made from lacey paper doilies and hearts cut from red and pink construction paper, so that’s an easy option. Creating a little piece of art with paints, crayons, or markers is always fun for kids too, and keeps them busy for a while. Again, Target Dollar Spot and local craft stores are a great place to find inexpensive craft materials.
Older kids (and adults!) will never say no to a Valentine-inspired charcuterie board. I found this great heart-shaped marble platter at Homegoods last year and I love it! If you don’t have a heart-shaped platter, you can always just arrange the meats & cheese to form a heart. Choose cured meats, tomatoes, cherries, red grapes, berries, cranberries, red peppers, and other red/pink food to keep the board cohesive and give Valentine’s vibes. You can find adorable wooden heart toothpicks on Amazon.
