Valentine’s Day is a popular holiday, but it can be fraught with danger. Flowers make an easy gift for your true love, but is it the best idea you can come up with? What about chocolates? A card? Is that too much? Too little?
You’re not alone in trying to figure out the perfect way to say “I love you.” Americans spend an estimated $18.2 billion each year on Valentine’s Day, and more than $1.5 billion of that is just on candy. Retailers sell more than 58 million pounds of chocolate alone, not to mention piles and piles of sugary hearts and gummy confections.
Women spend on average about $74 on a present, according to the National Retail Federation, while men rack up about $150. Overall, 140 million cards are mailed, 220 million roses are delivered, and an estimated 6 million couples get engaged. And not to be forgotten, nearly 9 million Americans buy gifts or cards for their dogs.
So, what’s a romantic to do?
Take a walk in the woods.
You don’t have to get caught up in the usual Valentine’s Day shopping frenzy when you have a cabin retreat. Texas cabin homes offer wonderful ways to celebrate the day in simple style, such as sharing an afternoon outdoors—without breaking the bank. Instead of planning an expensive outing to impress your true love, why not pack a picnic basket and a blanket, and set off into nature? Walking in the woods and taking time to be together, no distractions can be worth more than any pricey night on the town.
While you’re at it, write down a romantic Valentine’s Day quotation about what your relationship means to you, and share it at the just the right moment—as you’re gazing out at a picture-perfect view or listening to a babbling brook. Leland’s cabins are meant to let you get away from the daily madness and get in touch with the things that make you happy, like spending time in nature with the person you love.
Make something sweet.
Retailers sell more than 35 million heart-shaped boxes of chocolate each Valentine’s Day, totaling over $1 billion just in the United States. Sure, you can go all out with a box of chocolates in a heart-shaped container too. But what about stepping into the kitchen and making something from your heart instead?
All nine of our Leland’s Cabins models feature gorgeous kitchens, with fine wood cabinets and your choice of appliance colors. Spend a little time in your cabin’s kitchen and put together a special Valentine’s treat, and see what your true love thinks. You can go all out with a chocolate molten cake, or keep it simple with an easy pound cake and strawberries.
Or plan ahead and surprise your mate with homemade Valentine’s Day-themed cookies. You can stick to simple sugar cookies or venture into more complicated recipes. Either way, you’re showing your beloved that you’ve made the effort. Because sometimes a dish tastes all the better when we know it was made with love.
Let your love bloom.
The classic red rose, symbolizing romance, beauty, and perfection, is a signature Valentine’s Day gift. But you can show your love with other blooms just as well, and demonstrate that you’re not one to follow the herd.
Gather a variety of tulips, which symbolize passion and perfect love, into a cheerful bouquet of bright reds and deep pinks and purples. Tie them up in a bow for a gorgeous expression of love that doesn’t cost a fortune. These buoyant blooms are one of the most popular flowers in the world. Or consider a bouquet of bright peonies, representing romance and prosperity. In Greek mythology, Apollo used to turn beautiful nymphs into peonies. Some people think peonies symbolize good luck, and that those who receive them will experience good fortune in life and love.
Or make a combination bouquet of a variety of these flowers, including cheerful Gerbera daisies, associated with beauty and innocence, and sophisticated lily of the valleys for happiness. You’ll score points for originality and have money left over to buy a special treat.
Get starry-eyed together.
Texas cabin homes are our specialty, and we like to see them placed in beautiful places around the state. One of our favorite places for living near or escaping to on a weekend excursion is Big Bend National Park, where you can stargaze under wide-open Texas skies. Take your beloved here for a romantic Valentine’s getaway far from any light pollution and enjoy a clear view of over 2,000 stars on any given night of the week. You can even see the Milky Way and confirm that your love is written in the stars.
Enjoy the spa treatment in a cedar tub.
We think the very best way to enjoy Valentine’s Day is in the cedar soaking tub you’ll find in the master suite of The Lodge. Our three-bedroom, two-bathroom cabin is great for families, but our cedar tub is meant just for you. Imagine you’re in your very own spa as you slip inside for a relaxing break—steam rising off the water, your cares melting away. While Leland’s Cabins offers pre-built cabins in a variety of sizes, shapes, and price points, this cedar tub catapults The Lodge into a class unto itself: Valentine’s Day destination.
We hope you’ll make Leland’s Cabins your destination for the cabin of your dreams. Visit any one of our showrooms throughout the state. Or come to Grandview, the largest cabin showroom in Texas, and tour all nine of our cabin models. We think you just might fall in love.
