Valentine’s Day Ideas to Celebrate the Love in Your Life

At Holland America Line, we love helping our guests see the world from their doorstep through amazing cruise experiences. We also love bringing the joy of cruising to guests at home through fresh recipes and vacation-inspired activities. In summary, we love…love. It’s in that spirit we invite you to celebrate Valentine’s Day – or HALentine’s Day – using the gift ideas and activities below. From recipes for mouthwatering cocktails, fresh-fish meals and chocolate-covered strawberries, to breathtaking floral arrangements and kissing-swan towels, we hope these Valentine’s Day ideas help you celebrate the love in your life. Get ready for some HALentine’s Day fun at home!

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Valentine’s Day Cocktail & Chocolate-Covered Strawberries

Heart-Healthy Fresh Fish Recipe

Valentine’s Day Flower Arrangement

Origami Heart

Kissing Swan Towels

HALentine’s Day Card

Ingredients:

• 2 oz De Lijn Gin
• 0.5 oz Fresh Lemon Juice
• ¾ oz Grenadine
• ½ oz Egg White
• 2 oz Soda Water

Instructions:

• Add all ingredients except soda water to the shaker (no ice).
• Dry shake for 30 seconds.
• Add ice to the shaker and shake for additional 30 seconds.
• Strain into a cocktail glass with fresh ice.
• Place the bar spoon in the center of the glass.
• Pour soda water down the stem of the bar spoon.
• Garnish with a red cherry.

Ingredients:

• 6 Strawberries
• 250 g Dark Chocolate (tempered)
• 250 g White Chocolate (tempered)
• 150 g Pink Candy Melts (melted)

Instructions:

• Dip strawberries in tempered dark and white chocolate.
• Once the chocolate sets, drizzle pink chocolate (as seen in photo).

Are you ready to delight your senses with mouthwatering flavors? We recently teamed up with Vital Choice®, a leader in premium wild-caught fish delivery, to help you enjoy vacation-inspired flavors at home. To support your culinary journey, Sinu Pillai, Holland America Line’s fleet executive chef, hosted a cooking demo featuring our Gold Gala Pan-Seared Sea Bass recipe. Consider making this delicious dish with someone you love. Bon Appétit!

Brighten the day of a loved one with a hearts and flowers bouquet! Check out our flower arrangement video tutorial on YouTube and follow along as our onboard team walks you through every step.

Here’s a quick guide to help as well:

Materials

• Tools: Pruner, Scissors, Knife, Valentine’s Day Decorations, Vase (Basket Vase), Wire 
• Materials: Fresh-Cut Flowers, Soaked Flower Foam, Greenery (Fern, Aspidistra leaves, Palm leaf) 

Instructions

• Place the flower foam in the vase or basket. 
• Cover the flower foam using the fern and other greenery.
• Using the Aspidistra leaves, bend and tighten with a wire (check out the video tutorial for a tip on shaping them). 
• Cut the palm leaves into a new shape (see video tutorial). 
• Put the palm leaf on the foam. 
• Bend the large palm leaf and tighten to the basket handle using the wire. 
• Cut the white Chrysanthemum flower short and stick to the flower foam at the center. 
• Cut the Lily stem in an angle-cut shape using the knife, and stick to the foam. 
• Follow with the red roses and white Baby’s Breath for filler.  
• Put the Valentine’s Day decoration on the flower arrangement (heart-shape topping, Valentine’s Day sign, small teddy bear). 
• Put the ribbon on the basket handle as added decoration. 
• Enjoy your new masterpiece created with love!

From corner to corner and side to side, share your love through this creative origami heart activity. Check out our origami heart video tutorial on YouTube for step-by-step instructions with our crew on board. You can also use the following guide to help you along the way:

• Fold the paper in half from left to right side.
• Unfold and then make a small, long fold left to right at the bottom.
• Fold halfway from bottom to top.
• Fold the right top corner to the bottom line.
• Fold the left top corner to the bottom line.
• Take the right middle bottom corner and fold it in half, using as a reference to the right bottom corner.
• Unfold and take the left middle bottom corner and fold it in half, using it as a reference to the left bottom corner.
• Unfold
• Fold the right bottom corner towards the center, placing the tip on the line that we previously marked.
• Take the right middle bottom corner and tuck in the triangle.
• Fold the left bottom corner towards the center, placing the tip on the line that we previously marked.
• Take the right middle bottom corner and tuck in the triangle.
• Make a small pinch at the four bottom corners.
• Blow air at the top small gap while using small pressure at the bottom.

And there you have it – origami heart crafted with love.

Make Valentine’s Day warm and cozy with our kissing swans. Check out our kissing swan towel video tutorial on YouTube featuring one of our onboard crew members, who will walk you through each step. You can also refer to the guide below:

1. Gather 4 bath towels, 3 hand towels, and 2 washcloths.
2. Take the first bath towel and lay out horizontally. Holding the top center with one hand, use the other to grasp the top right corner and tightly roll towards the center. Keep rolling until the roll is almost to the center. Repeat on the left side, rolling until the two sides meet in the middle. There should be some unrolled fabric at the bottom of each roll hanging loose. These will be the “tail feathers.”
3. Flip the towel over so the rolled side is facing down. Then take the top of the roll and shape it gently backwards, bending until the towel is in the shape of a swan’s neck.
4. Taking the second bath towel, repeat the first few steps to create the body of the second swan. Place facing the first swan so their “beaks” meet, forming a heart shape.
5. Using the third bath towel, repeat the second step and take the double-rolled shape. Flip over so the towel is roll-side down and the top is on the far side. Fold in half so the bottom meets the top tip, and then flip over so the edges of the towel are facing towards you.  
6. Spread out the rolls slightly to create a flat heart shape and place on top of one of the bodies from previous steps so they look like the swan’s wings. The pointy side of the heart should be facing the back of the swan.
7. Take one of the hand towels and fold in half lengthwise, leaving one side about an inch longer than the other. Starting at one edge, make accordion folds all the way to the other edge. Tuck the folded towel in between one swan’s head and its wings so it folds out parallel to the body, holding the swan’s head upright.  
8. Using the last bath towel and another hand towel, repeat steps 5, 6, and 7 for the second swan.
9. Take the third hand towel and follow the instructions for 5 and 6, creating the heart shape in a smaller size. Place in front of the two swans perpendicularly.  
10. Take one wash cloth and fold all corners to meet in the center, creating a small square. Flip over and carefully repeat, taking those corners and folding to meet in the center. Holding the center down, pull out each flap from the underside so it resembles a flower. Place next to the center heart.  
11. Using the second wash cloth, repeat step 10 and place on the other side of the heart. 

And there you go! Two kissing swans for two lovebirds!

Share your love for Valentine’s Day and Holland America Line with our Happy HALentine’s Day card.

It’s orange. It’s blue. It’s also meant for you!

Which Valentine’s Day – or HALentine’s Day – gift ideas will you try? Share in the comments below!