364 Other Perfectly Good Days to Express Your Love For Someone

Culture

Feb. 14, 2014

It's a strange fact of Valentine's Day that most of us seem to participate out of a sense of obligation, yet there's no single entity holding us responsible for it — no Jesus, not even the U.S. government cares if we celebrate or not. Yet at face level, you'd think we'd all be onboard with a holiday that gives us a chance to tell someone we love them — a day when couples dutifully force busy schedules to converge, restaurants offer special menus and Starbucks offers two-for-one lattes for couples.

But that's not the case.

Everybody knows at least a handful of Valentines Day curmudgeons. You may even be that person — the one who feels they don't need a designated day to share their love with someone they care about. You may feel that EVERY day may as well be Valentine's Day.

We're sympathetic to the cause. So, we've racked our brains and put together the all-time greatest list of other days you might consider for your romantic expression:

1. February 15

Candy is very cheap on this day.

2. February 16

Still cheap, just slightly stale.

3. February 17

Like the song "I am sixteen, going on seventeen." Very romantic, especially if your Austrian royalty.

If you aren't, this might not be the day for you. Don't worry — there are others.

4. February 18

Honestly this one isn't so great. Tends to be a little cold. Still, it's serviceable.

5. February 19

Getting warmer.

6. February 20

7. February 21

8. February 22

Alright, there is something pretty wholesome and romantic about the number 22. Go all out on this one.

9. February 23

10. February 24

11. February 25

Two-month anniversary of Christmas. Will resonate for some.

12. February 26

13. February 27

14. February 28

ou What better way to bond, romantically, than to reflect on the strange fact that February only has 28 days? Pretty loveably idiosyncratic, just like someone else you know ...

15. March 1

You can start pretending it's spring.

16. March 2

17. March 3

18. March 4

A date that's also a command. Something special about that.

19. March 5

20. March 6

21. March 7

22. March 8

23. March 9

24. March 10

25. March 11

26. March 12

27. March 13

28. March 14

We all know what happened a month before this. And we must never speak of it again.

29. March 15

30. March 16

31. March 17

Monthiversary of the 17. Happy 17, everyone.

32. March 18

33. March 19

34. March 20

35. March 21

36. March 22

Now that I think of it, '22' isn't just wholesome — it's sort of a complex and multilayered sound. 22.

37. March 23

38. March 24

39. March 25

40. March 26

41. March 27

42. March 28

The Ides of March were 13 days ago. Should have told you that 13 days ago. Hopefully that turned out alright.

43. March 29

44. March 30

45. March 31

31 days. Pretty much the infinite month when compared with February which, if you recall, was last month.

46. April 1

Nothing goes together better than love and practical jokes. Like saying "I love you" to someone and then telling them you were just kidding. Even if you weren't.

47. April 2

Happy anniversary of the founding of the U.S. Mint thanks to the good old Coinage Act. Go crazy.

48. April 3

49. April 4

50. April 5

51. April 6

52. April 7

53. April 8

54. April 9

55. April 10

56. April 11

57. April 12

Great one.

58. April 13

59. April 14

Marginally improved but still problematic.

60. April 15

61. April 16

62. April 17

Monthiversary of the 17th. Hold your loved one extra tight.

63. April 18

64. April 19

65. April 20

66. April 21

67. April 22

It's funny — there are other dates with repeated numbers (like 11) but it doesn't have the same euphony as 22.

68. April 23

69. April 24

70. April 25

71. April 26

72. April 27

73. April 28

74. April 29

Alright, a potentially loaded day. Tread lightly.

75. April 30

Three months in a row of different lengths. What are the odds.

76. May 1

Happy Beltane everyone. Celebrate driving your livestock out to pasture with a barefoot May day dance. Then watch as your date runs.

77. May 2

78. May 3

79. May 4

80. May 5

81. May 6

82. May 7

83. May 8

This might be spring dress day.

84. May 9

85. May 10

86. May 11

Again, 11 — it's no 22.

87. May 12

88. May 13

89. May 14

90. May 15

91. May 16

92. May 17

Happy 17th.

93. May 18

94. May 19

95. May 20

96. May 21

97. May 22

Alright, I'm not the only one who is hearing this. Twenty-two. Twenty. Two.

98. May 23

99. May 24

100. May 25

May 25th. 100 days after Valentine's Day. And still not far enough.

101. May 26

102. May 27

103. May 28

104. May 29

105. May 30

106. May 31

That was a great month.

107. June 1

108. June 2

109. June 3

110. June 4

111. June 5

I think the days have been getting longer. Make use of the additional light here.

112. June 6

113. June 7

114. June 8

115. June 9

Ralph Ellison's Juneteenth is a classic. Definitely worth a read. Especially if you're a literary couple. Even if you're not. Actually, especially if you're not.

116. June 10

117. June 11

118. June 12

119. June 13

likeFriday the 13th. This is a good chance to celebrate Halloween in June. Also a good chance not to leave the house.

120. June 14

121. June 15

Probably a good day to go running as a couple.

122. June 16

123. June 17

Happy 17th — may they all be as special as the first 17th.

124. June 18

125. June 19

126. June 20

127. June 21

128. June 22

Mm.

129. June 22

130. June 22

Nothing to see here.

131. June 25

132. June 26

133. June 27

134. June 28

This is a month before my brother's birthday. That might not mean much to you. Actually, it might not mean much to him.

135. June 29

136. June 30

A day to appreciate the fact that we've been having normal-length months for awhile now.

137. July 1

138. July 2

139. July 3

140. July 4

Good day to break up and reconcile.

141. July 5

142. July 6

143. July 7

Any residual patching up you have to do after the 4th is probably best done here, because the 8th is crazy ...

144. July 8

Really not that crazy actually. It's more a state of mind — whatever you make of that.

145. July 9

146. July 10

147. July 11

148. July 12

149. July 13

150. July 14

151. July 15

Didn't even comment on it that time.

152. July 16

153. July 17

This is a special one, don't let it slip by too fast.

154. July 18

155. July 19

156. July 20

157. July 21

158. July 22

I think it's the consonance. T-wenty t-wo.

159. July 23

160. July 24

This is a 31 day month, so if you're getting sick of it you just need to suck it up.

161. July 25

162. July 26

163. July 27

164. July 28

Creator of Garfield born this day. I'd suggest some lasagna.

165. July 29

166. July 30

I got nothing.

167. July 31

168. August 1

And a good Lughnasadh to you.

169. August 2

170. August 3

171. August 4

172. August 5

173. August 6

Bittersweet — the end of summer is in sight.

174. August 7

175. August 8

176. August 9

177. August 10

178. August 11

179. August 12

180. August 13

181. August 14

182. August 15

183. August 16

I know it happened. The 14.

184. August 17

Happy 17th.

185. August 18

186. August 19

187. August 20

188. August 21

189. August 22

Gets me every time.

190. August 23

191. August 24

192. August 25

193. August 26

194. August 27

This one. This is the one.

195. August 28

196. August 29

197. August 30

198. August 31

I think we never really recover from that back-to-school dread. The end of August and the beginning of September will always hang heavily on any summer person's soul.

199. September 1

Kind of broke tone there — back to the task at hand.

200. September 2

201. September 3

This is a nostalgic one.

202. September 4

203. September 5

204. September 6

I'm giving you pearls.

205. September 7

206. September 8

207. September 9

208. September 10

YES. This is a good one.

209. September 11

210. September 12

211. September 13

212. September 14

213. September 15

214. September 16

215. September 17

Happy monthiversary of the 17th.

216. September 18

217. September 19

218. September 20

219. September 21

This is a good day to listen to David Bowie's Young Americans.

220. September 22

Look, I don't mean to insist on this. If you feel it, you feel it.

221. September 23

222. September 24

223. September 25

Christmas is coming, but definitely still awkwardly far away.

224. September 26

225. September 27

226. September 28

227. September 29

228. September 30

Bout to be autumn, pretty suddenly and beautifully.

229. October 1

230. October 2

231. October 3

Celebrate the fall of Vercingetorix, Gaul warrior, to the Romans with some slow, romantic readings of Asterix.

232. October 4

233. October 5

234. October 6

235. October 7

236. October 8

237. October 9

238. October 10

239. October 11

240. October 12

241. October 13

242. October 14

243. October 15

244. October 16

245. October 17

246. October 18

247. October 19

248. October 20

249. October 21

250. October 22

251. October 23

252. October 24

253. October 25

254. October 26

255. October 27

256. October 28

257. October 29

ha yExcellent one.

258. October 30

259. October 31

260. November 1

Celebrate the anniversary of the first ever Atlantic Monthly by asking whether or not hook up culture has negatively affected your relationship.

261. November 2

262. November 3

263. November 4

264. November 5

265. November 6

266. November 7

267. November 8

268. November 9

269. November 10

270. November 11

271. November 12

272. November 13

273. November 14

It's coming.

274. November 15

275. November 16

276. November 17

277. November 18

Whoa, nearly forgot — happy belated 17th.

278. November 19

279. November 20

280. November 21

281. November 22

Alright — I'm done.

282. November 23

283. November 24

284. November 25

285. November 26

286. November 27

This is Thanksgiving — kind of like a quadruple date with your family.

287. November 28

288. November 29

289. November 30

290. December 1

Happy Advent. Don't step on this one's toes too much.

291. December 2

292. December 3

293. December 4

Jay-Z's birthday. Do with that what you will.

294. December 5

295. December 6

296. December 7

297. December 8

298. December 9

299. December 10

300. December 11

301. December 12

302. December 13

Friday the 13th, may want to skip.

303. December 14

Although who am I to deem certain Fridays unworthy of romance?

304. December 15

Are we really so shallow that a number can turn us against a day?

305. December 16

A day as deserving of love as, say, your December 16?

306. December 17

Happy 17th.

307. December 18

308. December 19

309. December 20

310. December 21

Shortest day of the year. But also the longest night. You know what that means ... you get to rest up because December 22nd is amazing.