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While none of us probably wants to think that this awful polar vortex could still be felt as far in the future as mid-February, it is possible. That means those making Valentine’s Day plans have to plan for the snow and ice.

Here are a few Valentine’s Day date ideas, inside and outside, perfect for this polar winter.

Valentine’s Day Date Ideas

Outside

Just because it’s cold outside doesn’t mean you and your sweetheart are stuck indoors. Try some of these outdoor date ideas if it’s safe to go outside where you’ll be:

Is there a local ice rink or safe-for-skating pond nearby? Rent some skates and glide arm in arm over the ice with your sweetie. If you trip and fall over each other, that’s adorable too. Either way, share some hot chocolate afterward.
Take advantage of the snow and make an igloo! You certainly have enough snow, so construct an igloo in your backyard using ice cream tubs or large Tupperware to shape snow blocks. Then have picnic of hot soup and other warming food inside the igloo (Eskimo kisses encouraged).
Or, if you and your date are creative, why not try your hand at snow sculptures? Sculpt animals, sculpt each other, play snow-sculpture Pictionary. Bonus points if you take pictures or if there are professional ice sculptures to view afterward.
This Valentine’s Day is a full moon, so take some soup or hot chocolate, your honey, some tarps, and go stargazing together under the moonlight. Don’t forget a pile of blankets to sit in on top of the tarp to keep warm!

Adrenaline is good for romance, so sledding together is wonderful for laughing, building trust, and simply enjoying each other’s company.

Inside

Then again, it may be so cold that it’s not safe to go outside. Or you may want to come in from the cold and still spend time together. Or maybe neither of you are really “outside” people. That’s fine! Here’s a list for indoor sweetness:

There’s no beating the classic of dinner and a movie. Unless you cook dinner yourself. Or the two of you deciding to cook your dinner together—nothing is cuter. Except for then eating that dinner together in a grown-up blanket fort on the living room floor
If you and the one you love bond over laughter, watch a comedy show or download the Riff Track to a terrible movie—play the movie and the Riff Track in sync and giggle away!

Either Way

The above ideas are all irrelevant if you forget that this day is about the love you feel for one another.

No matter what else you two do together that night, find a way to express your love for each other—this is a day to commemorate and celebrate your love. If you want to do something besides the usual generic card:

Bake a giant cookie (their favorite) and say it with icing or drizzled chocolate on top
You could write it in the snow, or draw it (remember that cute time in Snow Day where Claire Bonner got a giant snow whale based on her lucky anklet?)
Just whisper it to each other
Write all the reasons you love each other on slips of paper and give your love a jar with all the slips in it
Make it a book! For a fee, you can get a book made with photos and stories at the university print shop. What’s better than your own personalized love story?

No matter what you do this frigid Valentine’s Day, snuggle close and love each other—with these ideas and that tenet in mind, it should be a day to remember.

Lucy Markham is an avid blogger and researches with companies such as PTM tarps. Lucy’s ideal Valentine’s day is anything thoughtful, and chocolate certainly doesn’t hurt.