Celebrate Your Valentine in a New Way

Blooming with red roses and chocolates, Valentine's Day has traditional chick holiday overtones. Yet plenty of couples open their hearts to celebrate February 14 in surprising ways to please each other. Take Richard Godfrey of Los Angeles, for example.

"I cook my wife a special dinner every Valentine's Day," says Godfrey, who's been married to Annette for 10 years. "We never go out on Valentine's Day. It's more romantic to stay home and enjoy each other's company."

Bill Dwyer, also of Los Angeles, kicks it up a notch, and along with preparing a delicious meal, he cleans the house for wife Penny. A painter, she traditionally draws him a card which he treasures as a keepsake.

"Every year I surprise my husband by doing a job for him that's normally his responsibility," says Mary Brooks of Los Angeles. "Last year I took out the garbage, and the year before that I trimmed a tree that was overgrown." Her husband, T.K. Wang, observes, "Taking out the garbage for your spouse is indeed an act of love; it definitely warms my heart."

With the kids out of the house, A.C. Brae of Stevenson, Md., and her husband may bypass dinner for "a bubble bath and a romantic evening." The husband of Felice Hulkower of Arcadia, Calif., also gets "a bath and a back scrub every Valentine's Day."

Couples with kids have to do some creative scheduling. Especially if the Day of Love falls mid-week. Susan Jager of Portland, Ore., says, "there's homework and family matters to be taken care of in the middle of the week," so she and her husband, Stan, will defer their annual "romantic surprise" weekend alone until after Valentine's Day. Among their Valentine's Day excursions, which are always a surprise, was a trip skiing, and a trip to Montreal, a place neither of them had ever visited before.

So, what will you do with and for your significant other this Valentine's Day? Take a cue from these creative thinkers and your mate will appreciate the deviation from the status quo of roses and chocolates.