Valentine's Day is the perfect time to remind your significant other of how much they mean to you. An evening featuring an intimate dinner, beautiful roses and breathtakingly romantic gestures is generally considered par for the course.

Which makes this particular day more than a little uncomfortable for those who have only just begun dating.

Perhaps you succeeded in finding love for Christmas, and you were hoping for smooth sailing now that your relationship has survived uncomfortable office parties and family gatherings. You forgot Valentine's Day was coming up, didn't you?

If you are in a new relationship, navigating Valentine's Day brings its own challenges. Keep reading for six quick tips on how to get through Valentine's Day with your new partner.

Consider How Long You and Your Partner Have Been Together

If you and your new partner have only been together for a couple of weeks, then you should probably just make your own plans for Valentine's Day. Turning Valentine's Day into a big deal before the relationship is a big deal will probably turn out to be a big mistake.

Pretending It's Not There Won't Make It Go Away

However, if you and your significant other have been seeing each other regularly for a couple of months, ignoring the day may cause confusion. While treating Valentine's Day like any other day may seem like the easiest way to avoid awkwardness, it really isn't. You know the day is coming up, and your partner knows the day is coming up.

Talk about It

Sure, you could wait for your partner to bring it up, but they're probably feeling weird about it too, so you might as well just go for it. To minimise the awkwardness, casually mention it in normal conversation. A simple, "Hey, no pressure, but did you want to plan something for Valentine's Day?" is straightforward, but doesn't leave your partner with the impression that you're expecting anything extravagant.

Be Realistic About Your Expectations

On the other hand, maybe you love extravagance. To you, Valentine's Day should be filled with an expensive dinner and romantic surprises. If that's the case, you need to reign in your expectations. Hopefully your future will be filled with an abundance of over-the-top gestures, but this year will likely be decidedly low key. Accept that, and then move on.

Buy Them Something Small

If you and your partner have decided to brave the mobs of starry-eyed lovers at your favourite restaurant, then giving them a small gift is completely acceptable. While an expensive or overly personal gift would be inappropriate, something like their favourite candy or a homemade baked good would certainly be appreciated. If that feels too impersonal, give them a copy of your favourite book or movie with a note explaining why you like it. As a bonus, you'll have an automatic talking point for a future date.

Enjoy the Day

Whatever you and your partner end up doing, focus on enjoying the day. Whether your evening is sprinkled with romantic gestures, or you spend it alone on your sofa, binge-watching your favourite television show, don't let the day become a source of anxiety or disappointment. Like every other day, Valentine's Day will be as good as you make it, so decide to make it a good one.

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