We’ve all seen the myriad Valentine’s post for lovers. Heck, we’ve done one ourselves on sexy lingerie for Valentine’s Day. But for many people, being single on Valentine’s Day can lead to melancholy or loneliness. Don’t despair! Not only are there literally millions of other folks who don’t have a “Valentine,” but there are also some fun and creative ways to celebrate while caring for yourself. Here are our top 5 tips to make this your best Valentine’s Day yet.
Start with a Spa Day
Spas run all sorts of specials and deals for Valentine’s Day. You can get the same discount on those gift certificates if buy them for yourself and have a day-spa treat! What’s better, most gift certificates are given as gifts on Valentine’s Day, so they’re often not actually used until after Valentine’s Day. That means you can get it on some low-cost, self-love with easy-to-get appointments in early February.
If you can’t get to the spa, arrange for some wonderful at-home relaxation with the help of a portable sauna blanket from the Heliotherapy Institute.
Feed Your Ex to a Tiger!
Support charity while letting go of a bad breakup or just having a really good, healing belly-laugh by feeding your ex’s name to a tiger. Wildcat Ridge Sanctuary is hosting a My Bloody Valentine fundraiser for their big cats. According to their website “… for a mere $35, we’ll feed that cold, cold heart (in the form of a bloody jello mold) to a wildcat and send you a compilation video. For $75, we’ll make it personal, feed it to a wildcat and send you your own custom video.” They’ve even got some pretty dramatic videos of the tigers having a go at the molds. But really, it’s all in good fun and no one gets harmed. In fact, it helps them continue their mission to provide a safe, natural, lifetime home for captive-born wildcats in need.
Side note: I’m a vegan, but tigers are NOT. These big cats need their meat to stay strong and healthy. Getting little treats of different foods and meals presented in different ways is great enrichment for the tigers!
Make it Cozy
Ok, so you’re relaxed from the spa, you’ve gotten a good laugh at your ex’s expense, it’s time to get cozy in some ultra-soft, organic loungewear. From fair trade pajama sets to snuggly fleece loungewear pieces, picking something from Faerie’s Dance’s sleepwear selection will make being single on Valentine’s Day seem outright joyous.
Indulge in Chocolate, but Skip the Heart-Shaped Box
Ethical, vegan chocolate company Lagusta’s Luscious is featuring a Valentine’s Day “Love is Dead” chocolate skull. From their website, “Just in time for Valentine’s cheer to be interrupting us at every corner, (grocery store aisles! television ads! public displays of affection!) we have made you a pretty sizeable chocolate skull, filled with our favorite assortment of seasonal bonbons. Share it with a lover, a friend, a family member, or smash it open yourself. No matter what your intentions, it’s the sweetest form of February self-care.”
Once you crack open this skull, it even contains an anatomically shaped heart along with other treats inside. It’s an activity as well as a dessert. Half the fun is smashing the skull. How will you do it?
Wear Inspiration
Being single on Valentine’s Day is really not a big deal. Each of us needs to find joy and pleasure in commonplace things. Celebrate the everyday inspirations in your life with one of these thoughtful jewelry pieces by The Artist Jay. Each comes with a card to help you remember to be mindful in some way. They’re handcrafted in the USA using recycled aluminum, and an ideal gift to yourself for Valentine’s or really, any time at all.
2020 has been a real punch in the nose for many people and small businesses. Since Faerie’s Dance already had an online presence, we were lucky compared to many other companies. Still, planning has a been a nightmare with our lowest sales month in more than 10 years occurring within three months of our highest. Supply chains have been affected and in some cases, we simply can’t get products in to back fill orders. Our fun Mismatched Socks are nearly sold out – even at the manufacturer, and we won’t be able to restock all the missing sizes of our best-selling Treasure bra until February. That said, we still consider ourselves very fortunate compared to restaurants, spas, gyms and brick-and-mortar retailers.
If you’ve maintained employment throughout the pandemic, and find yourself in a secure position, you may be wondering how you can best support small businesses and hard-hit charities this holiday season. Here are a few tips that might help.
Support Small Business
Shop small
Supporting small business is more than just that initial purchase. Of course, shopping small is where it all starts. Shop for holiday gifts at small online stores or don your organic cotton face mask and head over to one of the unique boutique-style shops in your community. Sometimes you may end up paying a few cents more to support a small business, but local businesses often add to the character of your community, and online businesses almost always offer a selection of items that can’t be found anywhere else.
At Faerie’s Dance, we’re proud to be the only shop in the USA carrying European bras from Swegmark, Comazo and Peau-Ethique. But if you don’t need a bra, or don’t want to give one as a gift, buying any of our everyday items helps support us and allows us to continue bringing you that selection of exclusives you’ve come to love.
Exchange Rather than Return
One of the biggest helps to small businesses is to exchange items that don’t fit, don’t meet your needs or weren’t perfect for your recipient. In addition to losing the sale, credit card fees are not refundable for small businesses. So refunds always constitute a loss. Doing an exchange instead can be a little lifeline for businesses that are struggling.
If you want to support a small business, or a restaurant that may currently be operating take-out only, get a gift certificate. Not only do they make great gifts – both for your recipients and for yourself – but it puts much needed capital in the hands of the business now while restrictions are still in place.
While not revenue-related, small companies put a lot of time and effort into telling their customers who they are and what they stand for. Does the small business you are buying from support charity? Are they minority or woman-owned? Are they focused on sustainability? Do they give back to the community? Spending a few minutes learning about a small business can be so beneficial. And the more people care about those extra steps companies are taking to do good, the more businesses will eventually follow suit.
Avoid Amazon (and other Big Box stores)
Amazon is convenient. Nobody can argue that. And most of the time, Amazon is cheap, too. But Jeff Bezos and Amazon stock holders don’t need your money. Early on in the pandemic while small businesses were closed, Amazon and big box stores that sold groceries were still open and raking in profits. They really don’t need any more.
If you do find something on Amazon, check the “shipped from” notice. Many times small business (including ours) sell a portion of their offerings on Amazon to increase revenue. We charge a little more on Amazon to offset all the fees. So you pay more, we get less and Amazon earns the extra. Instead, search for the “shipped from” company online. If you find their website, you can support them directly!
If you can’t find a small business that has what you need and Amazon is looking like your only option, be sure to order from smile.Amazon.com to have a portion of your purchase donated to charity.
Shop After Christmas
While everyone is focused on the holidays, January and February can be rough for small businesses. Be sure to save a little to shop early in the year. Don’t be afraid to take advantage of after-Christmas sales. While margins may be lower, most companies are looking to lower inventory or gain revenue to stock new items. So bargain hunting can be a win-win for everyone.
Buy Gifts that Give Back to Charity
In addition to small businesses, many charities are struggling with diminishing donations. Many charities get a good portion of their operating budget from live events and large gatherings which are currently curbed. Symbolically adopting an animal has been a mainstay of holiday charitable giving for years. While we love this idea, here are a few more unique ones you may not have heard about.
Plan an Adventure
One of our sponsored charities, EarthWatch, is having a particularly rough year since most of their donations come from volunteer expeditions. While their expeditions are currently on hold, you can start an Expedition Fund for anyone for as little as $25. The Expedition Fund allows you to crowd fund your future EarthWatch adventure, or simply save up for it over time. If you start a fund for someone else this holiday, your recipient would have until the end of 2024 to to apply those funds to an EarthWatch Expedition.
Soften Your Skin While Giving Back
Heading to the local mall? Pick up Lush’s Charity Pot Body Lotion. 100% of the price of this luscious, ethical, vegan lotion is donated to small groups working in the areas of human rights, animal protection and environmental justice.
Buy Wine, Help Animals
Africa Quest imagines “an Africa where wildlife habitats are protected and endangered species coexist and thrive with their human counterparts.” They’ve partnered with a high-end wine maker to offer Africa Quest Wines with $40 from every bottle purchased going directly to charity.
Do double duty by supporting small businesses who also support charity. (You’ll know who they are if you’ve read their About Us pages!) Faerie’s Dance gives 1% of all gross sales to charity. That’s gross sales, so even if profits are down, our charities are still being supported. I’m happy to report, we’re not alone in this. Many, many small businesses support charities. Most smaller companies go into business with high ideals of not just earning a living, but being a productive part of our larger communities. Find businesses and charities that align with your values and everyone will be elevated.
Don’t Forget Your Postal Carrier!
Many small businesses rely on the post office to ship lightweight items economically and ecologically to nearly every address in the country. In addition, so many home-bound Americans rely on the post office, particularly this year, for their medications, mail and even voting ballots. Postal workers were a bedrock of consistency for us all year. Faerie’s Dance could not have operated without them! Our Self Care Gift Set makes a great gift for your postal carrier. Of course, gift certificates, restaurant gift cards, locally made craft beer, and cash are always appreciated too. Give them a small “thank you” this year for all they do!
