Valentine’s Day is the celebration of your love and appreciation for that special someone in your life. While you can of course go to a store and purchase the traditional roses and chocolates, you could also try to make the day special by thinking of a more personal way of celebrating.

Here are 6 ideas of things you could do:

Cook a special dinner.  Think of your beloved’s favorite dishes, pick a entrée and a dessert and make them yourself.  Even if you are not the world’s best cook, you shouldn’t worry: it is more about the gesture and the effort you put into creating the meal than about the food itself.  Buy a good bottle of wine, set a nice table with flowers and candles and you will have a fabulous evening.

Book tickets for an event. Try to find an event your partner would love to attend. Even if it is not YOUR idea of a good time.  Whether it be a sports event, a concert, a play or even a movie, the important thing is that you show your beloved that you thought of what would make him or her happy (and not what would make YOU happy). Love often requires compromises and even sometimes sacrificing ourselves a bit for the sake of our partner’s happiness.  What a better day than Valentine’s to express your altruism?

Prepare a special activity.  One you know your partner will enjoy.  Valentine’s Day, being about love, is also about intimacy and closeness.  Prepare a picnic, go on a hike or a long walk on the beach, leave your cellphone and other devices at home and make the moment special by completely devoting your attention to your partner.  Talk about personal subjects, remember how you met and all the good times you had together, etc.

Make a gift yourself.  If you are handy, an artist, a good seamstress, or have any other skill that could help you produce a gift, make something special for your beloved.  A hand-knit sweater will always be of more value to the person you love than any store-bought item.  Again it is more about the time and effort spent on the project (time you spent thinking of your partner) than about the object itself.

Make your own card.  Anybody can make a little drawing and think of something romantic, clever or funny to write.  A handmade card will make a real keepsake and be much more appreciated than a standard Hallmark card.

Everybody is different.  Every relationship is special and unique to you.  Celebrating Valentine’s Day may not be so important to you or your partner, and that is fine.  After all, if your relationship is good, then what you do on that day won’t matter much and if your relationship is not good, this day probably won’t make much difference either. But if you do decide to celebrate the day, make it as special as your love is.