Valentine’s Day is traditionally a day dedicated to love, gifts and celebrating your significant other. For most people, the rules of Valentine’s Day are simple. If you’re in a relationship, you go on some sort of date and post something cutesy on Instagram. If you’re single, you go about your daily life and try to avoid all the romance being shoved down your throat. But what if you’re in a situationship, or talking to someone without labels? I, for one, am a firm believer in avoiding your situationshipee on a holiday all about romance. But if you can’t stay away, here are some tips for handling a situationship on Valentine’s Day.
Keep it casual.
The most important aspect of a situationship is that you aren’t serious. If you want to avoid sending any mixed signals, planning a romantic evening is probably not the best move. If you really can’t handle being alone on Valentine’s Day, make sure you suggest something casual with your not-so-bae. Don’t do anything you wouldn’t do during a normal hangout, and keep it simple like a "Netflix and Chill" night. And make sure to keep the V-Day references to a minimum.
Don’t bring gifts and don’t expect them.
An easy way to make the distinction between romantic holiday and casual hangout is to avoid the idea of gift-giving altogether. Chances are your situationshipee won’t have a gift for you, so you don’t want to be the only one who brought something. You also don’t want to get your hopes up only to go home empty-handed. Save yourself the money and the walk downtown and remove gifts from the equation.
Spend the night indoors.
If you’re going to hang out, make sure it’s at their place or yours. The last thing you want is to spend an awkward night at a restaurant surrounded by happy couples. Order a pizza, or wait to grab a bite until you’re alone. Staying in makes it clear that you’re not treating this like a special occasion, which is an important distinction to make.
Go home when it’s over.
Whatever you do, do not spend the night at their place on Valentine’s Day. Much like the other points on this list, this is just to make sure that you don’t make things seem more serious than they are. On any other day, the idea of staying the night could be acceptable, but on V-Day, it’s better to be safe than sorry. Do yourself a favor and make sure you end the night at home.
Don’t make things official.
Feeling lonely on Valentine’s Day might make you want to rush into a full-on relationship, but don’t let those emotions trick you into making things official. If you’re ready to commit to someone, you should be able to make an informed decision about whether or not that person is right for you. If you really want something serious with this person, just take a couple days to think about it. Rushing into something because of V-Day blues might blow up in your face in the long run.
It’s okay if you want to hang out with someone special on Valentine’s Day, and it’s okay if you don’t. But be careful when you’re trying to navigate a relationship that isn’t defined. If you’re worried about ruining what you have, it might be best to spend the night with friends instead. Galentine’s Day or Palentine’s Day, anyone?