While last year’s Valentine’s Day got lost in the storm of a dangerous pandemic, the general consensus for this year’s special day seems to be one of hope.
How can we spread the love without being super-spreaders of the coronavirus?
Our eyes and ears (and hearts) have been filled with all the creative ideas floating on the wings of love – from “Bridgerton”-themed gift ideas to drive-in movies to “Galentine’s Day” book recommendations, the offerings are a delight. Here are a few to keep you and your family feeling loved.
Charlie Brown’s ‘Caring Tree’
Instead of chocolates and paper hearts, this Valentine’s Day, Snoopy and Charlie Brown suggest a new way to show the people in your life how much you care — in a new original video called “Charlie Brown’s Caring Tree.”
Starting Feb. 9, the video and accompanying activity for 4- to 8-year-olds are available for free on GoNoodle.com, a kids’ media and technology company.
“Charlie Brown’s Caring Tree” is the second video and activity to be released as part of the Take Care With Peanuts initiative, a global multi-year enterprise encouraging everyone to “take care”— of themselves, each other and the Earth. The initiative draws on themes of wellness, community and environmental engagement found throughout Charles Schulz’s revered comic strip, and includes philanthropic outreach, social messaging and educational activities.
After watching the short video, families and classrooms are encouraged to use the accompanying activity kit, available on the Good Energy for Grownups page of GoNoodle.com from Feb. 9 -15, to create their own “caring tree” and to do nice things for others “to show how kindness grows.” Throughout 2021, new Take Care videos will be released monthly with additional activities. All can be found on the GoNoodle website and app.
Laugh it out
Sometimes all we need is love — and laughter. For a digital take on a comedy club night out, book your own private virtual comedy show!
Laugh.Events hires the best comedians to create unforgettable comedy experiences for audiences looking to unwind, laugh and have fun. Events run from 15-60 minutes, and organizers are able to build out their comedy show – everything from picking out the type of segment they would like to participate in to the topics a comedian hits on in their routine, chosen through a pre-event survey or questionnaire.
Laugh.Events also does virtual corporate events. If your company is planning on a Valentine’s Day happy hour, invite a comedian and play Pal-entine Pictionary. There are many different segments offered that are great for teams and companies to participate in. To sign up for an event, visit laugh.events/.
Adopt a Manatee
Fall in love at first sight with your very own manatee this Valentine’s Day when you Adopt-A-Manatee from Save the Manatee Club®. Each symbolic manatee adoption supports conservation efforts for imperiled manatees and makes for a thoughtful gift.
Save the Manatee Club co-founder and renowned singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett helped develop the Adopt-A-Manatee program in 1984 to raise awareness and funds for manatee protection. The program has sustained manatee conservation and educated countless manatee lovers ever since.
How do researchers identify and choose manatees to become adoptable? Selected manatees typically have easily identifiable scar patterns on their bodies. “Sadly, most living adult manatees bear some sort of scar from a boat strike or other injury,” explains Patrick Rose, aquatic biologist and executive director for Save the Manatee Club. While these scars assist researchers in identification, they serve as a grave reminder of the pain and suffering manatees face in the wild. Adoptable manatees also have a history of returning to the same warm-water habitat each winter, allowing researchers to make regular sightings and provide updates to adoptive parents.
Manatee adoptions start at $25 and include a personalized certificate with a photo and biography of your chosen manatee, a membership handbook and subscriptions to Save the Manatee Club’s newsletters. Visit savethemanatee.org/adopt or call 1-800-432-JOIN (5646) to Adopt-A-Manatee.
Love in ink
Spread the love with a stuPENdous surprise that will brighten up any homeschool or work-from-home desk this Valentine’s Day. Premier writing instrument company Pilot Pen is offering three free printable card templates that make cute and creative gift giving easy.
Visit Pilot’s Valentine’s Day homepage for a free printable, tape on a FriXion Fineliner (available at a variety of retailers) so you or the recipient can have fun coloring and voila! – the perfect practical gift for kiddos to share with their classmates, teachers or homeschooling neighbors.
Voted 2020 Product of the Year in the Office Supply category, FriXion Finelineris an erasable, mistake-free marker pen that adds colorful, flawless flair to writing and drawing.
Big Sunday love
Every year Big Sunday hosts Valentine events. This year, all of those events are virtual. Big Sunday’s Week of Love, a seven-day celebration full of ways – whatever your age, wherever you are – for you to spread the love. There will be card making, cookie decorating, salsa dancing, a special love-themed trivia night, a diaper drive and more.
Drop off is Wednesday, February 10 from 10 AM – 12 PM and Thursday, February 11 from 10 AM – 2 PM at our office on 6111 Melrose Ave. Entrance is through our back parking lot on Seward Street. Or click HERE for the Amazon registry. Make sure to select the address named “Big Sunday Registry Address” at checkout.
Rock out
Get ready to rock it out with “SUPERLOVE: An Improvised Valentine’s Day Rock Concert.” Kids everywhere are invited to celebrate with Camp Supernow for a virtual Valentine’s Day celebration.
Join for an entirely improvised rock concert starring superstar Skylar Knownothing and his rockstar friends. Together with input from the audience, they’ll write some amazing love songs no one has ever heard. At a time when everybody needs a little extra love in their lives, the band hopes this is a concert that will go down in history.
This is a free event for ages 3-10. Kids are encouraged to come in costume. Wear pink, red and your rockstar best. Sign up here.
Movie nights out
Join Electric Dusk Drive-in Theater this month for valentine movies all month long. From romantic comedies to anti-valentine movies like “Basic Instinct” and “The Graduate,” Electric Dusk has you covered. Learn more here.
And more drive movies with romance at the core can be found at the Marina Drive-In.
a pop-up drive-in that will transform the Boat Launch Parking Lot into a cinematic experience for seven designated nights in February, starting February 12.
Movie tickets must be purchased online in advance. Only cars that present a pre-paid ticket will be permitted to enter the lot for the Marina Drive-In. Cars will be physically distanced and therefore, a limited number of tickets will be sold.
All movie screenings start at 6:30 p.m. and cars may enter the lot one hour prior to showtime. Tickets are $20 plus a service charge. To purchase tickets visit MDRmovies.com.
Marina del Rey restaurants are open for outdoor dining, so come early and have dinner with a waterfront view or place a takeout order and bring your food to the Marina Drive-In. Movie snacks can be pre-purchased online or on-site; cashless payment only.
‘Galentine’s Day’
Don’t forget about your girlfriends this Valentine’s Day! We love this roundup of 12 female friendship books that Book Riot put together just in time to celebrate “Galentine’s Day.”
Romance at Terranea
There’s nothing quite like watching the sun rise and set at Terranea Resort in Palos Verdes. If you and your partner are lucky enough to steal away for a Valentine’s Day romance, Terranea welcomes you.
From hitting a bullseye with Cupid’s arrow during private archery lessons and gourmet farm-to-table meals, to reconnecting with a secluded retreat in the resort’s luxury accommodations, Terranea has an alluring array of gifts and experiences to create a memorable and romantic Valentine celebration throughout the month of February. For additional information and reservations, please visit the website or call 866.261.5873.
Love in Little Tokyo
Celebrate love this Valentine’s Day in the heart of Downtown L.A. with a variety of al fresco dining options and take-out meals from Little Tokyo restaurants. Whether planning a romantic dinner, Galentine’s celebration or date night at home, Little Tokyo offers the perfect opportunity to share a special moment with loved ones.
Little Tokyo’s many eateries offer diverse outdoor dining options along the historic First Street, where guests can dine under the romantic overhead lighting, perfect for a date night out. Treat that special someone to a patio dinner under the stars at Rakkan Ramen for an authentic Japanese ramen experience. Ootoro LA’s al fresco dining will continue the tradition of serving their exquisite sushi and sashimi dishes that are almost too beautiful to eat.
Tsurumaru Udon will be celebrating love all weekend long with do-it-yourself Valentine’s Day meal kits perfect for those interested in making delicious, fresh homemade Japanese udon from the comfort of their own home. Udon kits for two are $7.75 and available to order Feb. 11 – 14 at tsurumaruudon.com.
For more offerings and for safety guidelines, visit golittletokyo.com.
Crazy for pizza
Speaking of food, Mickey’s Deli wants you to know “pizza is an act of love.” And so, they’ve brought back their their fan-favorite Heart-Shaped Pizza for Valentine’s Day!
Mickey’s has been serving pizza since 1953, and this Valentine’s Day, they want to show you that pizza is the perfect way of showing someone how much you care, whether it’s for a fun get-together with friends, a Galentine’s Day slumber party or even a romantic dinner.
Cooking is an act of love
The Gourmandise School of Sweets and Savories, located at Santa Monica Place, is spreading love to food enthusiasts’ kitchens with their special lineup of virtual Valentine’s Day cooking and baking classes.
On Feb. 12, aspiring bakers are invited to spend the morning baking an array of vibrant macarons, including the classic almond shells, colorful shells, heart-shaped shells and chocolate ganache in the School’s Friday Bake: Valentine’s Macarons class.
Later that evening, couples are welcome to share in a special Date Night: Valentine’s Pasta Dinner where they will learn the art of creating the perfect pasta dough and tomato sauce to pair with a simple arugula fennel salad and berry vanilla pana cotta.
On Feb. 13, at-home cooks are encouraged to grab a loved one and join in a Date Night: Valentine’s Steak Dinner to master a perfectly seasoned steak au poivre paired with classic potato gratin, enive, radish and herb salad with dijon vinaigrette and finished with a caramelized apple cake.
However you celebrate, be safe and have a blast.