A Valentine's Day Party for Singles
Well, I had been pretty happy with the idea I came up with some time ago, but there have been so many wonderful ideas flooding in that I never even thought of!!! :)
Last year, when I was in a relationship, I thought that it would be a cool idea for my boyfriend and I to do something next Valentine's day for the singles we knew. This year unexpectedly found me single again (but happy!)...but I decided that I would go ahead and organise it all myself, anyway!
I bought some pearly white-cream paper and printed an invitation in red (also using red envelopes), inviting all singles that I knew to a Valentine's Day Party at my house. I wanted it to be a very positive thing, so the invitations were worded in such a way that granted them a special privilege BECAUSE they were single. :)
Because some of my good friends are guys who are long-time singles, I chose to host a mixed event, however I stressed that there would be no match-making, pairing, or even matching guy-girl numbers. I knew that these guys would be very disappointed to be excluded but at the same time would never think of organising something like this...and our small "social group" is a very 'mixed' one.
I had a very good response to this idea, not only from singles but also from the marrieds!! The singles were so 'stoked' that they weren't to be left out and forgotten this year. It was quite a 'brave' thing for me to do, as I have not been characterised by these type of events in the past. :) The marrieds said they never would have thought of it but that it was a great idea. It was very encouraging to have so much support!
For decorating, we had red streamers, white tablecloths, red and white balloons, white plates, red napkins...can you see the colour theme?! We happen to have white walls also in our family's new house so I printed out large funky-shaped hearts with different snippets of 1 Cor. 13 on each one and tacked them onto all the walls. It looked fantastic, if I do say so myslef. ;)
I tried to choose foods that were a little special and not-so-ordinary--at least for us--such as red velvet cake, cookies-and-cream cake, two types of gourmet pizzas, etc. It was a lot of work as I tried to do it single-handedly so that those invited didn't have to work. :) I did relent the night before and let 3 of the guys put up the streamers for me! They did a fantastic job and I made sure to pass onto the girls that it was the GUYS creativity there.
Everybody was requested to bring a small (eg, under $5) Valentine-themed present wrapped in red paper and tied with white ribbon. While this might sound compulsive (lol), the main purpose was so that nobody felt too conspicuous by having a present that stood out, etc!
Towards the end of the evening, we numbered the gifts which were all stacked on a small table. Each guest was also given a piece of paper with a number on. As each number (from 1 to 23) was called, the guest had to go up and find the matching numbered present from the table. This then became their present. Amazingly and with no planning, nobody ended up with their own present!!! It was very interesting to see the things that people came up with and everybody left with a gift.
It was such a fun night, with much lively conversation and laughter. It was a great opportunity for people with small networks to meet others that they may not have otherwise met. Nobody was left sitting at home. I doubt anybody felt lonely! The excitement of choosing a gift and having a special event to go to channeled people's away from the fact that they "were still single". Last night, probably nobody cared about that fact at all, since they were all too busy enjoying themselves!!! :)
It also provided a good opportunity to invite a couple of perhaps more lonely unsaved singles (one with a small speech problem; one an overseas student; one a new contact in our young adults group) and give them a chance to interact with a group of sober--but very happy and fun-loving--Christians. I had invited anybody I came across that was single up until the day...very brave of me as I usually find it more difficult to meet new people... According to these otherwise unknown people, this really blessed them! In doing so, I have also made some new friends!
I do believe it rates as my best Valentine's Day ever...and I didn't even need a partner to make my day! :) It was quite hard work, but it was ever so rewarding. Thank you, Lord, for ideas, peace, fun, and wonderful friends! -Kristy from Australia
posted by Crystal Paine at 10:04 AM
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