by Bhavya Dabas

Created on: December 02, 2009

A romantic dinner for two doesn't necessarily have to be about fancy restaurants and candlelight. It is more about spending quality time with each other.

Candlelight is not an essential element, but mood lighting is an important factor. It is not very easy or pleasant to carry out a romantic conversation with a bright light glaring into your eyes. On the other hand, for some people, dim lighting makes things appear rather dingy. You need to know what works for you and your partner.

Music also helps create an ambience, but loud music creates a distraction. Soft, instrumental music works well for most people.

The whole point of this special dinner is to spend time with each other, engaged in pleasant conversation. You need to ensure that the mood and the environment is right for that. Leave work related stress at the office. Find a baby sitter. Find a peaceful setting, be it a restaurant or your own home. It may not be easy to find a quiet, not too crowded restaurant for a Valentine's Day dinner, so it may be a good idea to order take out or cook at home. If both of you have the time, preparing the dinner together can also turn out to be a fun activity for the two of you.

When you settle down to dinner, steer clear of subjects that lead to stress or arguments. Do not discuss rent, telephone bills, the children's grades, and so on. Talk about how special your partner is to you. Remind them of what they mean to you and how much you appreciate the fact that they've always been there for you. Re-live your early years.

You don't have to have an elaborate five course meal. You will do just fine on pizza and lemonade. The whole point is to savor each bite slowly while you carry out a conversation. Feed each other little bites of the food. Sharing dessert also helps make things a little more romantic.

And yes, there are those of us who have jobs that require them to work on Valentine's Day. Customers wouldn't get their delicious dinner at their favorite restaurant if the chef had the day off, would they? For such people, it's important to remember that the idea of Valentine's Day is largely in our heads, and you can make any other day equally special for yourself and your partner if you put your mind to it. If you're working on the night of Valentine's Day, you can celebrate it just as beautifully on any other day of the year.

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