Valentine’s Day is here again.

Every year, one of our colleagues gets together with their closest friends to have dinner. Every year, the subject of Valentine’s Day comes up. Last week was no exception. You can probably guess that everyone was sharing their plans. Some were talking about pre-ordering Tiffany, Cartier and Swarovski for their girlfriends. Others were talking about their reservations at Michelin star restaurants.

When they asked Tina about her plans with Jim, her boyfriend, she simply said, “ We’re spending Valentine’s Day at home.”

No one was surprised. Tina and Jim have been together for seven years, yet no one in the group has ever once heard of them giving each other expensive gifts or planning something big. To them, every day was Valentine’s Day.

Today, we would like to share the love story of Tina and Jim.

When relationship routines became part of their daily lives

Tina loves Chinese food. Jim, on the other hand, prefers Western food. Before getting together with Tina, Jim could count on one hand the number of times he visited a Chinese restaurant. However, today, their home is filled with Old Godmother chili sauces, salted duck eggs, and snail noodles. This is how they start their daily routine.

Every morning, Jim prepares his version of congee with century egg for both of them. Dinner, prepared by the two of them, will be a fruit and veggie salad paired with either salmon or chicken breast.

Jim’s love of movies has extended into a dedicated movie night every Friday. Every week, they‘ll either go to the theater or snuggle while watching a movie at home. Their version of Netflix and chill.

During the weekends, if both of them have no plans, they will go for their usual morning jog together and then visit a cafe for brunch where they would have endless conversations. Even though they’ve been together for so many years, they didn’t seem to be running out of things to talk about.

Compared to the fancy gifts others give each other, we think these routines that Tina and Jim have settled into are much more heartwarming and touching. Developing routines like this can help your partner feel that you notice them, that they’re important in your life and make them feel even more special.

We have our own special days

While Tina and Jim treat Valentine’s Day as just another day, they do still believe in the importance of rituals.

Before they were together, Jim had his own routines. For example, Jim always made sure that his meals were served on a plate, even if it was a Subway sandwich. For Tina, she always made sure to get a new decoration for her room every month.

Tina mentioned that when she first met Jim, he prepared an Italian dish for her. She couldn’t remember what the dish was called, but she could remember how impressed she was with the tidiness and cleanliness of Jim’s place. He wasn’t like other single guys. Jim’s attention to detail made a lasting impression on Tina.

Even though they don’t celebrate Valentine’s Day, they do have their own special days.

Tina mentioned that Jim brought that special element of quirkiness and liveliness into her life. The first time he celebrated her birthday, he dressed up as a delivery man and surprised her at her office with her present. The next year, he hid her present in a cornfield maze. After they became official, other than celebrating their anniversary, they also celebrated Children’s Day together. Every June 1st, you can find them either at Disneyland or another theme park.

Tina is childlike, and Jim is always looking for fun things to do. Their love for each other has reached a stage where there is no need for them to show the world that they love each other anymore.

We hope that everyone can also find their other half just like how Tina and Jim did. Happy Valentine’s Day!

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