For some time — and perhaps even today — there is this fierce idea that Valentine’s Day is when everything has to be sweet and perfect, when all must be well-planned and prepared, and, inevitably, for many, well-financed, too. Think advanced bookings to Michelin restaurants or fancy cafés, out-of-town or out-of-the-country getaways, exchanging red rose bouquets, and hitting the movies for the newest V-Day release.

But Gen Zs see Valentine’s Day differently, if not more uniquely now. For many of our young couples, there is so much more to do and experience than the usual romantic restaurant dinners. 

Besides, with heavy traffic, packed shopping malls, and long queues on the most-awaited 14th, more and more couples prefer to stay in the comfort of their homes — or the comfort of their partner’s arms.

Jaime and Alex, Paul and Cess — and all things art 

Gen Zs are not new to grand notions of Valentine’s Day celebrations, where guys take girls out on romantic candlelight dinners and have enormous flowers delivered to their addresses. Or perhaps we knew of its significance by watching our own parents and relatives, who would leave a trusted adult at home to look after us as they took the night to themselves.

But for Gen Z couple Jaime and Alex, one need not prepare an extravagant affair for Valentine’s Day. Having met in high school as annual rivals in school poster-making and arts competitions, the two courted for a year — also known as “MU (mutual understanding),” before they became an official couple in 11th grade in 2018.

“For one, we were high school students. We didn’t have the money to go on fancy dates for special days, like Valentine’s,” shared Jaime. 

Financial constraints called for Jaime and Alex to get creative with celebrating special occasions together. Both passionate illustrators, they agreed to spend time doing what they do best, and what brings them happiness other than each other’s presence: making art.

It was how their first Valentine’s Day celebration panned out. Alex and Jaime munched on street food from a humble stall near their school while they busied themselves with drawing — and to them, that was more than enough. 

“I remember, it was afternoon, during the golden hour. Seeing the view, Jamie and I just kind of looked at each other and grabbed our pencils and papers. We just tore a page from our notebooks,” Alex recounted in a mix of English and Filipino.

That would signal the start of a yearly tradition for the couple, just with a few modifications. When Jaime and Alex became classmates during their senior year, they even worked on a project for a Contemporary Arts subject and painted an interpretation of Carlos Angeles’ poem, “Gabu.”

To this day, art remains at the center of the time they spend together.

“Every Valentine’s, we go to his place, make a fort in the middle of the living room. ‘Yung meryenda either kami gagawa or magpa-deliver. Then we settle there sa fort with our sketchbook and other art mats. We’ll just make art together. Kuwentuhan while drawing. Sometimes ‘di kami nag-uusap. Okay lang ‘yun. This makes us happy.”

Bea and Migs know every board game to heart

What better way to spend Valentine’s than gathering around your living room in your PJs, hot chocolate in hand, as you solve mysteries and build puzzles; play detective and strategize; wage wars and conquer?

Gen Z couple Migs and Bea, among others, have always loved spending V-Day — and other occasions — in the comfort of their homes, staying up late playing games of all kinds: video games, board games, and puzzles. Sometimes they set up sleepovers with other couples, and even single friends for countless rounds of tabletop games.

While Valentine’s is more commonly known as a day to spend with your significant other, Gen Zs also see it as an opportunity to spend time with friends and family and show their love and appreciation for them.

“It doesn’t have to be something spent with a single person,” said Bea, who would spend Valentine’s with her family or best friends before meeting Migs. 

For Migs, Valentine’s isn’t about material things. It should be a day for you to spend time with your special person, no matter how mundane your celebration might look to outsiders.  

“I also think that V-day should be a celebration of love, and as such, [a] new or the same routine doesn’t matter to me. Though we love game nights. We really do,” he shared.

If they do spend Valentine’s alone together, the couple usually does rounds of Scrabble — both of them English majors who met in a poetry class — and playing co-ops in video games. When they do celebrate it with others, however (more specifically, fellow Gen Zs), a game of Clue or Monopoly is a sure way to end the night on a very fun and chaotic note. 

“While we try out other board games, you can never go wrong with Clue and Monopoly. With Monopoly especially, after so many hours you are not yet finished, but you’re so broke and have no properties left that you start praying for a miracle!” says Bea, who has only won a game of Monopoly once or twice. 

Games and friendly competition seem to be the foundation of Migs and Bea’s relationship, as the Gen Z couple also makes it a point to attend trivia nights whenever they can. The last one they attended was a general knowledge trivia night. 

“We didn’t win, but we had so much fun. Before that, we went to a Game of Thrones trivia night. I’m telling you there were so many names in GoT that you are bound to forget,” shared Bea.

“Many times, on trivia nights, [where you have] to guess songs, it’s crazy how you can sing the whole thing and not know the title,” added Bea, referring to a One Direction trivia night she attended with Migs and some girlfriends.

Migs and Bea also share a love for puzzles and LEGO — devoting themselves to completing 70×50 puzzles at least twice a year with their friends. 

“These things — puzzles, games — they bring us closer together,” he added. “So, when we talk to other couples like us, we always say: Please play games together, you won’t regret it!”

Lorenz and May, and the magic of books and letters

New couple and longtime best friends Lorenz and May have a different approach to the special occasion. As introverts, the quieter and calmer, the better. And while this doesn’t necessarily mean staying at home, they do go the extra mile exploring small and cozy cafés and shared spaces where they can read books together.

“Usually we go to local cafés and lesser-known places. We bring our current read and, after the coffee’s served, we start reading, we take notes, we share notes,” said Lorenz. 

He shared that last year’s Valentine’s Day, May spent half the time ranting about “how bad the book was,” and he ended up dropping his book too and spent the evening just chatting, something he’d never get bored doing.

More than books, the couple have also grown fond of collecting stationery and using it to write letters and notes to each other.

“We bring our stationery and write letters in a café, then we exchange letters and read them to one another,” shared May, who has written a total of 84 notes and letters for Lorenz over the past year, with a few of them being postcards sent when she went on international trips. On her birthday last October, Lorenz gifted her a Snoopy mail stationery set.

They shared that they also enjoy trying out different coffee blends and flavors. Admittedly, they prefer their usual orders, but they have promised one another to be more adventurous and open to trying new things.

“It’s simple as that. Valentine’s, I realized, doesn’t have to be a lavish thing,” May said. “Growing up, watching my parents and other older couples exert so much effort and preparation for Valentine’s… I grew up thinking everything had to be perfect, or that lahat kailangan gastusan (everything needs to be paid for), you have to save up for this date specifically, you know.

“Also kasi in the books I read growing up, it’s always so romantic, tapos may mga flowers and all. I mean, nothing’s wrong with that — Lorenz gives me flowers. But for Valentine’s specifically, I’m happy we found our kind of V-Day date. Having coffee together, reading, writing, repeat. I can do that for a million years. Especially with him.”

With these Gen Z couples, Valentine’s Day becomes less about ticking off a checklist of romantic expectations, and more about creating space for shared joy. After all, love is expressed through small, intentional moments that feel true to the people sharing them.

In redefining the occasion, Gen Z reminds us that there is no single way to celebrate Valentine’s Day, and that it doesn’t have to be expensive or perfectly curated. 

At its core, the day is simply an opportunity to do something you genuinely enjoy with the people you love. In choosing what feels most, couples find not just romance, but a chance to grow together, learn each other’s interests, and build traditions that last far beyond February 14. – Rappler.com