As the years go by Valentine’s Day seems to have become more of a nuisance than an expression of love or affection.

I won’t bang on about the day being suffocated by commercialism in the way some people do (even if the thought of being stuck in a card store surrounded by teddy bears, love hearts and balloons is quite literally my worst nightmare).

My favourite couples on Valentines are by far the oldies, the ones who still enjoy a little old-fashioned romanticism and every card or gift comes from the very bottom of their heart…but that’s enough of the soppy stuff, if you want to put a little bit of spark back into your Valentine’s Day here are my top tips:

Be Original

One of the best dates I’ve ever been on was when I was nineteen, I was seeing a girl who I knew was a little bit quirky so I wanted to take her on a date that was sure to be a little different to the norm.

In the end, I took her to the airport with a couple of bottles of wine. We sat and watched planes all night, chatted to random holidaymakers and messed around in the massage chairs.

Sounds a bit on the crazy side but it went down well and to this day is probably my favourite ever date.

Now I’m not for one second suggesting you grab a carry-out and head for the airport (security has also changed a lot in the last ten years) but try putting a little bit of originality into your date ideas.

Avoid the same old local you go to most weekends or the same restaurant you took your Mum to for her birthday lunch.

Think outside the box and do something they’ll never forget.

Don’t share it with other couples

Part of the problem with Valentine’s Day is sharing it with the masses. Having the same card with the same message, eating the same chocolates or dining in a restaurant with forty other couples eating the same set menu.

If you have to fill your living room with candles and cook for the first time in a year then just go for it (just be sure to blow the candles out before you move to another room).

Also, don’t talk about what your friends or colleagues are doing for Valentine’s Day all you’re doing is opening yourself up to comparisons and you might just lose out in the idea stakes.

Pretend you’ve forgotten

Ok, a bit risky but imagine her face when you surprise her with an incredible evening after playing dumb all day? You’ll be her mischievous hero once again.

Get Creative

As I touched on before, I hate store bought Valentine’s cards! A nice big cringey printed message that the giver doesn’t even read and the receiver reads and has to pretend you actually came up with the words. Why not get creative? This takes me back to primary school, I recall me and a friend were making cards for two girls we liked and on the back we drew on barcodes with our phone numbers underneath (our mother’s house numbers might I add) it sounds cringe worthy now, but at the time we thought it was genius! Fast-forward back to 2016, why not make a video or a photo-book of your favourite memories or my personal favourite leave post-it notes all over the house with clues leading to a present of some kind.

Get Excited

You have to want to enjoy Valentine’s Day. If you’re doing it just to go through the motions then what on earth is the point? You’re not going to enjoy it and your partner certainly isn’t. There are ways to enjoy it without feeling like a sucker for the commercial side, don’t be a grouch!

Do something you’ll both enjoy 

It’s important, particularly for the guys, to not be selfish. At the same time however, why shouldn’t you enjoy yourself as well? How about a couple’s spa day where you can enjoy your secret love for deep tissue massages and a nice mud wrap?

And if your still stuck for ideas…

Recreate your first date. No better way to bring back the spark than reliving how you got together in the first place.