If you have a family, Valentine's Day may be about celebrating with your kids, spouse, and other family members. With some work, you can have a great Valentine's Day dinner for the family. Set the atmosphere with great decorations. Serve food associated with the season, such as red foods like beets. Play games that encourage you to appreciate and love one another.

Method 1 of 3:
Setting the Atmosphere

  1. 1
    Have everyone dress in Valentine's Day colors. It can be fun to set a dress code if you're family is on board. For Valentine's Day dinner, encourage everyone to wear Valentine's Day colors like reds and pinks. You can also request Valentine's Day patterns, such as hearts.[1]
    • If anyone in your family does not want to follow the dress code, however, do not force it. People should not feel pressured during a low key family dinner.
  2. 2
    Make Valentine's Day candles using mason jars. Pick up some small candles, like the ones you would use inside pumpkins, and mason jars at a supermarket or department store. You can then decorate the mason jars for Valentine's Day. You can, for example, fill mason jar with candy hearts and then place the candle on top of the hearts. You can glue pink or red glitter to the inside of the mason jar. You can also decorate it with stickers.[2]
    • If you have small children, this can be a fun activity for them. You can have everyone make their own candle and set them on the table for dinner decoration.
  3. 3
    Use decorative placemats and napkins. You can pick up decorative placemats and napkins at a local department or drug store. Most stores sell themed decorations around Valentine's Day. You can set the table using fun Valentine's Day-themed decor, like placemats and napkins decorated with hearts or bows and arrows.[3]
    • If you dislike cartoonish decoration, opt for a Valentine's Day color scheme instead. For example, you can go for pink, red, and white placemats and napkins.
  4. 4
    Put out Valentine's Day themed plates and silverware. If you have any colorful silverware and plates, bring them out for the event. Go for Valentine's Day colors, such as red or pink plates.[4]
    • You may be able to buy cheap silverware with a Valentine's Day theme around the holidays. For example, stock up on silverware with heart decorations.
  5. 5
    Hang up signs. You can buy Valentine's Day signs at most department stores. Try hanging up signs that say things like, "Happy Valentine's Day" near the table for the event.[5]

Method 2 of 3:
Serving Valentine's Day Themed Food and Drinks

  1. 1
    Use heart shapes. If you don't already have some heart-shaped cookie cutters, purchase some for the big event at a local department store. You don't have to limit the use of cookie cutters to cookies, however. You can cut a variety of foods into the shape of hearts using the cookie cutters.[6]
    • You can cut slices of potatoes very thin. Then, use the cookie cutters to cut around the slices so you have heart shapes.
    • If you're serving something like bread as a side, cut this into heart shapes. For example, use the cookie cutter to cut out heart-shaped pieces of Italian bread to make garlic bread.
  2. 2
    Serve a salad with beets. Beets are bright red, reflecting the spirit of the season. Make a basic salad with things like romaine lettuce and a vinaigrette for the side. Cut out beets into the shape of hearts and add them to the salad. This will provide a nutritious side dish in the spirit of the season.[7]
    • To add even more red, use a reddish vinaigrette such as one made from raspberry or apple cider vinegar.
  3. 3
    Go for red drinks. For the adults, try serving something like red wine. For the kids, serve things like cranberry juice. You can even make a virgin cocktail with cranberry juice by adding a little grenadine and sparkling water to the juice.[8]
  4. 4
    Make meat kabobs. Meat kabobs are a simple dish that are easy to whip up for a Valentine's Day dinner. You will need several wooden spears. You can grill up any kind of meat you want, such as chicken or beef, and add it to the spears. You should add red vegetables with the meat, such as red peppers, to give it a Valentine's Day twist.[9]
  5. 5
    Serve strawberries dipped in chocolate. You can buy chocolate dipped strawberries at most grocery stores around the season. These are a great dessert as the red color and the chocolate reflect the season.[10]
    • You can serve the strawberries on something like a heart-shaped dish or a dish that's in a Valentine's Day color, like red or pink.

Method 3 of 3:
Engaging in Dinner Activities

  1. 1
    Write notes to one another. Before dinner, have everyone write a note for a member of the family. On the note, express why you love and care about various family members. Then, you can take turns reading these notes during dinner.[11]
    • You can print out templates for the notes on your computer. For example, write something like, "Dad, I love you because..." and then add a number of blank lines. You can print a card out like this for every member of the family.
  2. 2
    Share stories. Have index cards on hand with conversation starters that involve stories about love and romance. Have questions like, "What was your most embarrassing first date?" and "What's your favorite romantic movie?"[12]
    • If you're married, you and your spouse can tell your kids the story of how you first met.
  3. 3
    Play word association games. Give everyone a sheet of paper. Then, say a word like "love", "kiss", or "beauty." Give everyone a set time to write down all the words they can think of associated with that word. Then, everyone can share.[13]
    • You can hand out stationery decorated with hearts for this game to keep with the Valentine's Day theme.
  4. 4
    Make cards over dessert. You can bring out construction paper, glitter, glue, paint, markers, and other craft supplies at dessert. While people are enjoying their dessert, have them make cards for one another. This can be a fun end to a Valentine's Day dinner.[14]

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      wikiHow Staff
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      Updated: June 11, 2020
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