is in the airloveWhether you choose to spend the 14th with your significant other or with a group of friends, the Post’s Valentine’s Day guide is sure to inspire. We compiled a list of movies, gifts and ways to spend the day, no matter what your relationship status. Plus, we asked students and staff to share their Valentine’s Day experiences. Compiled by Shruti Chandra, Julie Gonzalez, Conner McLeod, Katherine Quesada and Lauren Quintela.

the Valentine’s Day guide

We asked 60 students: Do you prefer formal, traditional dates or casual, laid-back dates at home?

POLL: The ideal date

60.3%39.7%

Formal

Casual

Gifts frOm the heart1. I DIG YOU: Fill a plastic bag with white, pink and red M&M’s, and insert a mini plastic shovel. Attach a note saying “I dig you.” All the necessary items to make this sweet surprise can be bought at the Dollar Tree.

2. FLOWERS AND CHOCOLATES: Keep it simple and give your love a box of chocolates and a bouquet of flowers to show your adoration.

3. DECORATED SWEETS CUP: Fill a plastic Valentine’s Day cup with Hershey Kisses to make sure your special someone can be treated with your love throughout the day.

4. POETRY: Put your poetry skills to the test by writing a love ballad. Include the traits of your special someone which make you love them. Use the Free Love Poem Generator on the Romeo’s Magic website to help find the right words to express your love.

5. MOVIE NIGHT: In this day and age, the classic and roman-tic idea of a drive-in movie has faded, but you can revive it for the apple of your eye. You don’t need a car, but a couch or pair of bean bag chairs will do the trick. Make some pop-corn, overdose on candy and play a nice romance film.

MOvie night must-haves

“She’s the Man” “50 First Dates”“27 Dresses”

No tears, just laughter Just right

“The Proposal” “Forrest Gump”

Warning: tears will fall

“Titanic” “The Notebook”

(Photos/IMDB)

Ways to spend the day OIt can be a drag to be single when it seems like everyone around you is spending time with their significant other. However, you can distract yourself from loneliness by doing these fun things.

1. BUY CANDY: Valentine’s Day and Halloween are some of the best times to buy candy because of all of the sales on sweets. You can eat the candy yourself or you can give it to strangers as a random act of kindness and spread the love.

2. DO SOMETHING WITH YOUR SINGLE FRIENDS: Your other friends may also be hurting from a lack of a romantic partner, so why not spend time with them to show that they have someone who cares about them? Go out to see a movie together or go to the mall.

3. DONATE TO CHARITY: Since you have no one to send valentines to, you might as well spend the money on funding charities. Send the money to Wounded Warriors Project, to thank our troops for their patriotism, or to a children’s hospital such as St. Jude’s Chil-dren’s Research Hospital.

4. DEVOTE TIME TO A NEGLECTED HOBBY: With the pressure of schoolwork or a job, you might not have time to work on something you enjoy doing, so use this day to do some-thing you love.

What are your memorable Valentine’s Day stOries?

(Graphics/Lauren Quintela)

“When I was in high school, I was a little bit of a square. I didn’t talk to many people, so I was very surprised when I received a Valentine’s Day card in the mail signed ‘Secret Ad-mirer.’ I wondered who that person was for many years, and after marrying and having two kids, my mother finally confessed the secret admirer was her.” - Mrs. Ellen Ways

“In elementary school, I had a crush on this boy, and on Valentine’s Day, I built up the courage to tell him I liked him. However, after I told him, I immediately ran away as fast as I could and avoided him for the rest of the school year. I never found out if he liked me back.” - sophomore Sarah Mitchell

“In elementary school we would give Valentine’s cards to everyone in class, and my mom bought Bob the Builder cards. I was so embarrassed because it was like third grade, and I didn’t give the cards to anyone because Bob the Builder was so ‘kindergarten’.” - sophomore Zachary Spicer

“In middle school, this kid who I never really talked to before gave me a huge teddy bear and lots of candy. I guess he had a crush on me, but it was great because I still have the teddy bear to this day.” - junior Sidney Lampert

“I met a girl the day before Valentine’s Day (surprisingly, considering I was planning on courting my Netflix account in my normal fashion). I’m normally skeptical, but I guess love was in the air and I decided, hastily, to take her out to dinner. A petite girl, no bigger than me (with my very small stature), couldn’t impress me with her eating, right? Yet as I sat across from her as the waitress came, I was horrified and extremely impressed as she ordered three full meals from the menu. The mention of Valentine’s Day still strikes fear into my heart to this day. That dinner left a scar on my heart as the subsequent $123.46 bill left a scar in my wallet.” - junior Zachary Trammell

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