What Does It Mean to Be a Valentine? – “Love Transcends Borders” Valentine’s Day 2026
‘Love Transcends Borders’ Valentine’s Campaign’
It takes various fragrance notes to create your favourite perfume. Vanilla sourced from Mexico. The Middle Eastern signature: Oud. Southern Italy’s Bergamot renound in the perfumery world. Ingredients come from a variety of different backgrounds, each with its own cultures and history. All combine to create harmonious aromas. We similarly view love. Love more than just attraction. It’s blending our similarities and differences to create a real, long-lasting scent of togetherness with the people we hold dear.
It’s that feeling of unity that we want to push in our ‘Love Transcends Borders’ Valentine’s Campaign. For the first blog of the campaign, we’ll be discussing what a ‘valentine’ is and who deserves your love this Valentine’s Day 2026.
What Is a Valentine
A Valentine is a person you show love, affection, or romantic interest toward, especially on Valentine’s Day, which is celebrated on February 14. Sterotypically this holiday is known for gifting your partner, or a person you’re confessing to, a bundle of chocolates in a heart-shaped container. Followed by ‘Will You Be My Valentine’. However, we feel this Valentine’s Day in 2026 should be a celebration of love itself and extend to all relationships you care for.
Who Needs A Little More Loving This Valentine’s Day 2026
1. Your Partner – I See You
Valentine’s Day isn’t about how big the gesture is. It’s about how thoughtful it feels.
One of the most meaningful ways to show someone you care is through a gift that reflects them. Not just something expensive or trendy, but something that says, “I see you.” A book by their favourite author, a scent that reminds them of a shared moment, or something small that connects to an inside joke. Thoughtful gifts speak a language deeper than words. They show attention, effort, and love.
And then there’s the date. The best dates aren’t generic; they’re personal. Take them somewhere that reflects their interests. If they love art, visit a gallery. If they’re happiest outdoors, plan a walk, a picnic, or a sunset view. If they’re a foodie, choose a place they’ve always wanted to try or recreate a favourite meal together. When a date aligns with who they are, it becomes more than an outing; it becomes a memory.
But what truly makes Valentine’s Day special are the little things.
Tell them what you like about them out loud! The way they laugh, how they listen, how they show up when it matters. Remind them of what made you fall in love in the first place. These words, often left unsaid, can mean more than any gift.
Take time to go down memory lane together. Talk about how you met, your first date, and the moments that still make you smile. Relive the small, ordinary memories that built something extraordinary. In a world that moves fast, slowing down to remember us is a powerful act of love.
Because at the heart of Valentine’s Day isn’t perfection or extravagance, it’s presence. It’s choosing to notice, to remember, and to care in ways that feel real. Sometimes, love is simply saying: I remember you. I choose you. And I still care every day.
2. Long-Distance Love – The Space Between Us
Valentine’s Day can feel heavier when love exists at a distance. When there are no spontaneous hugs, no shared silence, no simple reassurance that comes from being physically close, even the strongest relationships can feel strained. Distance doesn’t weaken love, but it does test it in quiet, unfamiliar ways.
One of the hardest parts of being apart is the space it creates for doubt. When you can’t see each other regularly, questions creep in. Are they still as invested? Are they being faithful? Do they miss me the same way I miss them? These thoughts are more common than we admit, and it’s important to normalise them rather than feel guilty for having them. Distance demands trust, but trust also needs nurturing.
That’s where face-to-face interaction, even through a screen, becomes essential. Zoom calls, video chats, FaceTime, these aren’t substitutes for real presence, but they offer something words alone cannot. Seeing someone’s eyes, expressions, pauses, and smiles brings clarity. A face can soften misunderstandings, reassure doubts, and communicate sincerity in ways text never could. When distance is unavoidable, showing up visually is an act of effort, and effort matters.
Another crucial piece of long-distance love is words of affirmation. Saying how you feel shouldn’t feel awkward or unnecessary, especially on the boys’ side, where expressing emotions is often minimised or discouraged. Affirming love, reassurance, admiration, and commitment isn’t weakness; it’s emotional responsibility. Simple words like “I’m proud of you,” “I choose you,” “I’m still here,” can anchor a relationship when touch cannot.
And if it’s possible, if even just once, make the effort to surprise them.
A one-time visit, unannounced or carefully planned, can mean more than months of messages. Showing up, even briefly, says “You’re worth the effort.” Spend the day together. Talk, laugh, walk, eat, sit in silence. Be present. Those moments recharge love in ways distance slowly drains.
This Valentine’s Day, remember: love isn’t defined by proximity, but it is sustained by intention. When touch is missing, presence becomes deliberate. When doubt appears, reassurance becomes essential. And when distance feels overwhelming, even one shared day can remind you why you chose each other in the first place.
Love survives distance not by accident but by choice.
3. Friends & Family – For The Ones Who Raised Us
Love doesn’t only live in romance. Some of the deepest, most enduring love we experience is with family. Yet it’s often the most quietly neglected.
As life moves forward, we begin living in different worlds. Work, responsibilities, routines, and stress. Time together becomes coincidental. Without realising it, relationships with family, especially parents, start to feel like roommates sharing a flat rather than people deeply connected by love.
Valentine’s Day is a chance to pause and notice that.
The time we don’t usually spend together is often the time that matters most. Sitting together without a reason. Having a meal with no rush. Watching something they enjoy instead of scrolling your phone. These moments may seem small, but they are irreplaceable. They are moments you don’t get to save for later. One day, you’ll look back and realise how much they meant and how quickly they passed.
What matters even more is what we say.
We don’t often tell our family what we like about them. What we appreciate. What they’ve done that shaped us. We assume they know, but hearing it changes something. Normalise saying thank you. Normalise saying I admire you. Normalise saying I see how much you’ve done for me. These words stay with them longer than we realise.
This Valentine’s Day, love your family out loud. Spend time you wouldn’t normally spend. Give without being asked. Speak appreciation without waiting for the “right moment.”
Because family love stays with us for a lifetime. And these moments, once gone, are gone forever.
4. Galentines – No Romance, Just Real Ones
This Valentine’s Day, forget the romance subplots. Forget the pressure to be loved a certain way, by a certain person, on a certain timeline. Some of the best love stories don’t involve candlelit dinners or grand declarations; they involve your friends, messy conversations, and laughing until your brain finally switches off.
Galentine’s Day is about leaning on each other. It’s about creating space to say the things you don’t always say out loud. The frustrations you’ve been carrying. The disappointments you haven’t processed. The “I’m tired, and I don’t know why” moments. Sitting with your mates, sharing grievances without judgment, is its own kind of intimacy. No fixing required, just listening.
And then, once it’s all out? You do the most important thing: you turn your brain off.
Have dumb fun. Watch something terrible on purpose. Play games you don’t take seriously. Eat snacks that make no nutritional sense. Laugh at inside jokes no one else would understand. This kind of joy, unfiltered, unserious, and shared, is restorative. It reminds you that life doesn’t always need to be figured out to be enjoyed.
So how do you celebrate Galentine’s?
Make it intentional, but keep it easy. Host a low-effort hangout: pyjamas, comfort food, and zero expectations. Do a group walk with takeaway coffee. Have a themed night, nostalgic movies, chaotic playlists, or childhood games. Exchange small, silly gifts or notes that say “I see you and I’m glad you’re here.”
Most importantly, show up as you are. No performance. No comparison. No pressure to be “okay.” Galentine’s is about choosing each other, not because you’re lonely, but because friendship is worth celebrating.
This Valentine’s Day, honour the love that shows up without conditions. The love that holds your secrets, hears your rants, and still invites you over.
Romance can wait. Your mates are right here.
5. Self-Love’s Importance – “Another Valentine’s Alone“
“Another Valentine’s alone.”
It’s a line we hear played for laughs, half-joking, half-deflecting. A shrug, a meme, a quick laugh before moving on. But beneath the humour, it can feel quietly isolating. When the world seems to be celebrating love in pairs, it’s hard not to notice the space beside you, the “special someone” everyone else appears to have found while you’re still searching.
That loneliness doesn’t mean you’re broken. It doesn’t mean you’re behind. And it certainly doesn’t mean you’re unlovable.
Valentine’s Day has a way of narrowing love into one shape, one story. But love isn’t only something you receive from someone else; it’s also something you build within yourself. That’s where self-love comes in, not as a cliché, but as a foundation.
Self-love is not pretending you don’t want companionship. It’s not convincing yourself you’re happier alone if you’re not. Real self-love is honesty. It’s treating yourself with the same patience, care, and respect you would offer a partner. It’s learning how to sit with yourself without judgment.
And it matters deeply.
When you practice self-love, you’re not closing yourself off from future relationships; you’re preparing for them. You’re building a sturdy sense of self that doesn’t disappear when someone else enters the picture. Healthy love grows best when it’s rooted in two whole people, not one person trying to complete another.
So how do you actually practice self-love, especially on days like this?
Start small. Speak to yourself kindly. Notice the way you talk to yourself when you feel lonely or rejected, and challenge the harsh narratives. Replace “What’s wrong with me?” with “I’m allowed to want love, and I’m still worthy without it.”
Invest time in your own life. Do things that make you feel capable, curious, and alive, whether that’s learning something new, moving your body, creating, or resting without guilt. Self-love often looks boring before it feels powerful.
Set boundaries that protect your energy. Say no when something drains you. Say yes when something nourishes you. Choosing yourself isn’t selfish; it’s necessary.
And finally, allow yourself joy without waiting for someone else to share it. Celebrate yourself. Buy the flowers. Plan the night in. Take yourself seriously.
This Valentine’s Day, if you’re alone, know this: being single is not a failure of love. It’s a season, one where you get to build a relationship with yourself that will shape every love that comes after.
You are not late. You are not missing out. You are becoming.
Conclusion
What does it mean to be a Valentine? A person you show love, affection, or romantic interest toward. Therefore, we feel that Valentine’s Day 2026 should be celebrated for more than just romance. It’s a day that celebrates love itself and the connections you cherish. So no matter who your valentine is or where they come from, show them that you care on that special day and beyond.
