Whether you’re a major fan of Valentine’s Day or you think it’s all a bit too cheesy, you can’t deny that the celebration has a lot of charm. It’s the perfect opportunity to remind yourself of all the beautiful reasons why you love your partner. It’s also a day when you can be kind to complete strangers and spread a bit of love around the world like a Panda-shaped cupid.

Our romance-loving team here at Bored Panda has collected some of the most wholesome Valentine’s Day pics, stories, and posts to share with you, and they’re bound to warm your heart and heal your soul. Seriously, they’re overflowing with love and kindness! Don't forget to upvote your faves.

Bored Panda got in touch with Steven Wooding, from the Omni Calculator team, who paired up with fellow physicist Luciano Miño to create the Drake Equation for Love Calculator. We asked Steven about how our standards affect our chances of finding love and what we can do if we feel like we keep failing at finding a partner no matter what we do. Read on for our full interview.

#1 Awesome Bus Driver

Image credits: pandba

#2 My 82-Year-Old Grandad Sends Me A Valentine's Card Every Year. His Writing Is Getting Worse Because Of His Tremor, But He Always Insists On Writing It Himself

Image credits: lucwhy

#3 I Didn't Have A Valentine's Day Date, But I Still Gave What Was In My Heart To Those Who Needed It Most

Image credits: Ripple884

Steven and Luciano, from the Omni Calculator team, created the Drake Equation for Love Calculator to help you calculate how many potential partners are in your area, based on a few key variables. It's based on the Drake Equation which estimates the number of active, communicative extraterrestrial civilizations in the Milky Way Galaxy, as well as on the work done by Peter Backus, a lecturer in economics.

"Your personal standards for a potential partner play a significant role in your chances of finding love," Steven explained to Bored Panda. "If you have high, rigid standards focused on perfection, finding someone who meets all of those criteria can be challenging. Holding onto an idealized image of what a partner should be like can prevent you from seeing and appreciating the good qualities in potential partners who may not match that image perfectly."

Meanwhile, changing your standards and moving away from perfectionism can actually improve your chances of finding love. "You can expand your pool of potential partners by being more flexible and open to the idea of a partner who may not meet all of your criteria. In addition, you can allow yourself to see the good in people you may have previously dismissed," the physicist told us.

#4 I'm 16 Years Old And I'm Recovering From Anorexia. This Is The Valentine's Day Cake I Made And Ate Without Fear With My Family Yesterday

Image credits: its_smallbread

#5 My Daughter Is Blind And Her Grade 2 Class Is Exchanging Valentines Tomorrow. She Brailled "Love" On Each One And Then Used A Heart-Shaped Hole Punch

The letters in print are so her classmates know what it says.

Image credits: mack3r

#6 My Valentine's Date Was Really Cute, But He Wasn't Great At Making Eye Contact

Image credits: jumboram

We wanted to get Steven's opinion on what someone should do if they've been putting in tons of effort but were unable to find a partner. Patience, persistence, and positivity are key.

"Be bold, put yourself out there, and be open to new experiences. Take the initiative and ask someone on a date. You never know where it might lead," he gave some spot-on advice.

"Be patient and be positive. You may have to wait a while to meet the right person, but stay optimistic that you will someday."

#7 This Amazing Gentleman Every Valentine's Day Will Bring All The Widows From The Nursing/Retirement Home And Treat Them To Lunch And Gifts And A Rose For Each

Done this for the last 5 years at our restaurant. He is simply an amazing guy.

Image credits: Sinalot7775

#8 My Girlfriend Got Me Bob Ross DVDs For Valentine's Day. Today I Completed My First Painting Ever

Image credits: PieceMan85

#9 My Dog Has A Girlfriend Who Lives Across The Street. This Was His Face When She Came Over For Valentine's Day

Image credits: HOBbitDAY

Meanwhile, we also wanted to learn a bit more about the Drake Equation for Love Calculator that both Steven and Luciano came up with.

"The Drake Equation for Love Calculator came from some work by Peter Backus, who wondered one day why he didn't have a girlfriend and how many potential matches might be out there. He connected that problem with the famous Drake Equation used for estimating the number of alien civilizations in our galaxy. You start with a population of stars (or people) and then apply factors that narrow down the number. For example, what faction of stars have planets (what faction of people are female), and how many of those planets have the conditions to support life (what faction of females are in the suitable age range)?" the physicist explained.

"Peter did a calculation for himself, so we created a calculator so anyone could do a similar analysis for themselves. Gathering all the data was the main challenge. Most of it comes from the US census, which is convenient, but it needs to be filtered and organized into a form we can use in the calculator," Steven said.

He added that a potential update in the future might include some common interests that people have. "Surveys might be a way to estimate what faction of the population like different things."

#10 Biggest Smile Ever As He's About To Give His Crush Her Valentine's Gift

Image credits: gxlauraa

#11 I Always Try To Get My Hair Flat On Top But This Is Truly Making Me Appreciate Volume

Image credits: LivinWitLyndsey

#12 Having The Best Possible Valentine's Dinner Date

Image credits: Mr_MicMac_BE

At the end of the day, what matters the most isn’t how Instagrammable your Valentine’s Day gift looks. What matters is that you spread some love and make someone you care about smile.

The real victory isn’t about boasting about it on the internet (though there’s nothing wrong about doing it), it’s about expressing your love, respect, and admiration. The effort and care that you put in both speak for themselves!

#13 They Still Look At Each Other So Lovingly After All This Time

Image credits: Rock_sie

#14 She Sent Me A Valentine's Day Dinner. From Thousands Of Kilometers Away, Onboard A Royal Canadian Navy Frigate She's Deployed On, Using The Ships Satellite Internet

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#15 I Brought Her Flowers And Candy On Valentine’s Day When We Were In Kindergarten

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What your partner really wants is to feel special. Don’t just get them some random card or gift that you picked up at the gas station. It’s very impersonal. A smaller gift that’s tailored to your soulmate is bound to be a greater hit than a dozen roses and a generic box of chocolate (unless they actually like the cheesiness), no matter how much they might cost. We impress others with our feelings and dedication, not the size of our wallets.

#16 My Girlfriend Commissioned A Friend Of Ours To Illustrate Us (And Our Cat) For Valentine’s Day

Image credits: pjpacattack

#17 Winston Is My Valentine

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#18 Happy Valentine’s Day

Image credits: TotallyAwesome80s

Think about what your partner might actually want to get or do on Valentine’s Day. Maybe they’ve mentioned something to you recently. Though every single day should be like Valentine’s Day, in practice, it’s hard to do. But never forget that you’ve got the rest of the year to be incredibly romantic. Don’t be shy—surprise your partner when they least expect it. 

#19 For Valentine's Day, My Local Library Is Setting Visitors Up On "Blind Dates" With Books

Instead of the cover, you read a brief description and get a couple of reviews to help you pick which one you want to take home.

Image credits: Saber_Trooth

#20 My Valentine's Gift For My Wife. I Bought A Chest At A Craft Store. Sanded It, Stained It, Sealed It, Engraved It, And Filled It With 365 Love Notes: One A Day Until Next Valentine's

Image credits: lorgskyegon

#21 I Turned Me And My Girlfriend Into Disney Characters For Valentine's Day

Image credits: BrianDangerFlynn

How much importance you place on gifts will really depend on you and your partner. Some people show their love in different ways. Others like giving and receiving tokens of affection. So if you know for a fact that your partner loves gifts, you’d do well to put in the time and effort to make or buy one for them, even if you might not be a big fan of gift-giving yourself.

#22 Has A Heart On Her Nose And Is Born On Valentine's Day

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#23 Dog Day Care Did Pet Portraits For Valentine's Day. How They Got Wally To Sit Still For This I Will Never Know

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#24 Waiting To Give Her Favorite Trash Truck Driver His Valentine

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Similarly, if your loved one isn’t all that into physical gifts, you might surprise them with a fun trip or an unusual experience. They might want a major distraction from their everyday problems. Your solution could be anything from a bubble bath to a surprise live concert at the place you two met all those years ago.

#25 My Wife Got Me Flowers For Valentine's Day

Image credits: patinkinmandy

#26 Happy Valentine’s Day From Scratches The Cat

Image credits: RealRyanSeacrest

#27 My Grandma Was Crowned "Princess Of Springhurst Pines" Tonight For Valentine's Day

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What are you doing this Valentine’s Day, dear Pandas? How are you surprising your significant other? What gifts or cards did you receive this year? We’d love to hear from you, so feel free to pop down by the comment section to share your thoughts.

#28 She Was Tested Positive For Heartworm Shortly After We Got Her. After 40 Weeks Of Intense Injections And Meds, This Valentine’s Day Will Mark One Year Heartworm Free

Image credits: Penelopiee

#29 Had A Bummer Of A Valentine’s Day. This Good Boy Brought Me His Bone And Put It In My Lap. Beats Flowers

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#30 She Wants To Know If You'll Be Her Valentine

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#31 Somebody At My School Stuck A Heart- Shaped Sticker With An Original Wholesome Message On Every Locker (There's Almost Seven Hundred Of Them) On Valentine's Day

Image credits: CEISTIANO

#32 Men Staring Into The Dark Abyss Of Valentine's Day Cards

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#33 My Friend's Daughter And Her Valentine's Present

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#34 My Wife And I Paint Rocks And Hide Them For People To Find. Here's A Batch Of Valentine-Themed Little Monsters Ready To Steal Your Heart. Enjoy

Image credits: petitbleuchien

#35 My Son Has Down Syndrome, He Won Valentine's Day King At The Special Needs Dance Last Night

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#36 Wrote My Grandmother A Letter Because She Can't Go Outside. She Called Me Saying "Thank You For The Love Letter" And Chuckled Like A Little Girl That Got Her First Valentine

Image credits: Nikko91929192

#37 My Latest Piece Made From Clear Cedar Scraps From A Deck We Built Not Long Ago. A Little Valentine's Day Gift For My Wife

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#38 My Friend's Pittie, Biscuit. He Got Kisses For Valentine's Day

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#39 My Girlfriend's Dog Is Too Photogenic. Happy Valentine's Day

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#40 Last Year, My Husband And I Got Each Other The Same Card For Valentine's Day

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#41 My Daughter Won A Welding Skills Fest Today. Best Valentine’s Day Gift Ever

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#42 Me And A Few Of My Brothers Paid For Our Parents To Go On Their First Valentine's Date In 20+ Years

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#43 It's Been A Good Morning. Happy Valentine's Day

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#44 For Valentine's Day This Year, I Commissioned An Artist To Paint My Girlfriend And Her Cat As A Traditional Disney Princess/Companion. She Nailed It

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#45 My Cat (Rocky) And I (Apparently) Enjoy Strawberry Ice Cream. The Best Valentine's Date By Far

Image credits: TheAmeriKane

#46 Somebody Put These In The Men's Bathroom At The Movie Theater On Valentine's Day

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#47 Our Dog Died After 18 Years Of Being A Good Boy. My Mother Bought All His Food From Chewy And She Received This On Valentine’s Day, Two Weeks After He Was Put Down

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#48 High School Senior Buys Valentine's Day Flowers For All 834 Girls At His School

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#49 My Girlfriend Made Me A Meat Bouquet For Valentine's Day

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#50 I Ordered These Earrings For Valentine’s Day. Inside Was A Card Telling Me I Was Their First Costumer

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#51 My 5-Year-Old Son Drew A Valentine’s Day Card For Me, And Then Gifted Me His Only Coins. I Know It’s Not Much, But It Means The World To Me

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#52 Valentine's Day Kitty

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#53 I Suffer From Adhd And Have Been Having A Rough Time Self-Motivating Recently, But Today Is Not Only Just Valentine’s Day But Also My Girlfriend's And Mine 1-Year Anniversary

I was able to pull my stuff together today to give my lovely girlfriend a beautiful surprise.

Image credits: i_enjoy_music_n_stuf

#54 Norwegian Curling Team's Valentine's Day Pants

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#55 My Husband And I Have Been Leaving Notes For Each Since We Got Married Last June Because We Have Different Sleep Schedules. This Was His Gift To Me For Valentine's Day

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#56 My Parents Sent Me Valentine's Day Flowers In The Shape Of A Cat. I Feel Loved

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#57 My Grandpa Sent Me A Valentine In The Mail. I'm 24 Years Old

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#58 The Groomer Sent Me Valentine's Day Photo Of My Little Man

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#59 Pretend I Gave This To You... Our Valentine’s Day Tradition For At Least 10 Years. We Go To CVS, Exchange Cards Then Put Them Back

Average savings $15.98 plus tax per year! Then we go have coffee.

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#60 Art Made For My Wife. Where We Met, Got Married, And Live

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#61 I Collect Prop Replicas. My Girlfriend Spared No Expense On My Valentine's Day Gift

It's a John Hammond's cane from Jurassic Park. One of my absolute favorite movies.

Image credits: OdoWanKenobi

#62 For Valentine's Day, My Wife And I Gave Each Other Powerpoint Presentations On Historic Figures. Best Valentine's Day Ever

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#63 This Is How To Do Valentine's Day Right

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#64 My Little Sister Bought Flowers For My Grandfather For Valentine's Day, He Was Really Happy

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#65 I Told Him Not To Worry About Valentine's Day Because Our Money Has Been Tight Lately. I Randomly Looked Up From My Desk At Work And Saw This Handsome Surprise

Later I arrived home to a meal that he had taught himself to make.

Image credits: JacqiPro13

#66 My Father, A Metalwork Student At The Time, Made My Mother A Metal Valentine's Day Card With A Working Hinge. They've Been Married For 23 Years Now

Image credits: reddit.com

#67 My Valentine And Her Charchewterie Board

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#68 This Is Mose, He Wears His Heart On His Chest And Would Love To Be Your Valentine This Year

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#69 Happy Valentine's Day

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#70 For Valentine's Day, My GF Bought Me A Fancy Exclusive Dinner At The Red River Zoo In Fargo, And It Included An Opportunity To Meet This Pretty Girl! Meet Faye

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#71 My Grandma Kept And Framed Her Valentine's Cards She Got In Second Grade, Around 1924

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#72 Since Valentine's Day Is Tomorrow And My Parents Are Splitting, I Thought I'd Cheer My Mom Up With Her Favorite Snack

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#73 I Had The Best Valentine’s Day Dates Tonight

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#74 Gave The Teddy Bear To My Boyfriend On Valentine's Day But I Guess It Has Found A New Owner

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#75 If Today Has Tortoise Anything, It's That We've Loved Shell-Ebrating Valentine's Day With You All

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#76 My Very Own Valentine’s Day Baby. Meet Avery

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#77 My Daughter Made A Valentine For Our Carpenter. He Seems Pleased

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#78 A Week Ago My Husband Was On The Ventilator Due To Covid. Today He Was Able To Have A Small Chat With Me Outside His Window And Received His Valentine

Image credits: reddot_comic

#79 On Valentine's Day, One Of My Teachers Puts Hearts All Over The School With Everyone's Name On Them For Us To Find

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#80 Just Finished My Valentine's Day Gift For My Girlfriend. A Modded Gameboy Pocket And A Custom Pokemon Blue Version Cart

Image credits: CrimsonChymist

#81 This Woman Goes Around Every Valentine's Day And Gives Out Flowers At Local Restaurants And Even The High School. Faith In Humanity Restored

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#82 My Grandma Was Crowned Valentine's Day Queen At The Nursing Home

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#83 A Rose From My Valentine

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#84 My Son And I Made Valentine's Cookies For Mum. He’s Pretty Proud Of Them

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#85 Going Through A Bad Break Up, Moved Back In With My Parents At 25. My Dad Surprised Me This Morning For Valentine’s Day. Yes I Cried

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#86 Didn’t Have A Valentine So My Mum Sent Me This

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#87 I Made Some Metal Roses For Valentine's Day

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#88 I Got Dumped This Morning Via Text While Driving To Work. I Thought I Was Going To Have A Terrible Day Until My Boss Did Something Awesome. Happy Valentine's Day

This is so cliche, but it's so true. When one door closes, another door opens. At the time the door closes, we are sad and grieve the opportunity. We wonder, "Why me." one day, we see why that door closed. It closed to make us ready and available for another opportunity. One day, you will thank him for not being in your life because you will find something that better suits you. In December 2011, my best friend/boyfriend passed away. I never thought I would be ready to date nevertheless, find someone as sweet as him. In my case, one day, I was ready, and the amazing man, walked into my life. Nothing against my deceased ex, he will always be with me, but my new guy Scott is a much better fit for me. Keep your chin up. Any man would be lucky to have such a great girl as yourself. It truly is his loss. You are beautiful inside through and deserve nothing but the best. If you need anything, let me know. 

You are better off. I promise!

Image credits: ohmyDIY

#89 A Bird Started Making A Nest In My Wife's Hand-Made Valentine's Wreath

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#90 This Restaurant's Washroom Has Blank Valentine's Day Cards For Last Minute Gifts

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#91 Valentine’s Gift For My Boyfriend

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#92 My Work For Valentine's Day

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#93 My Valentine’s Day Present To My Girlfriend

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#94 My Girlfriend Had A Huge Exam Friday Morning, So Valentine's Day Was Delayed Until This Weekend. While Babysitting Our Cat I Sent Her A Pic Of My Valentine's Day Dinner

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#95 My Wife Wanted Socks For Valentine's Day. She Won't Be Disappointed

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#96 Daughter Personalized Her Cards For 26 Kindergarten Classmates For Valentine's Day

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#97 No Valentines? No Problem

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#98 I Made These For Valentine's Day

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#99 Had To Work On Valentine's Day. A Customer Brought Us All Cookies

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#100 It’s Been A While Since I Enjoyed Valentine's Day. Last Night Was So Lovely

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#101 A Little Girl In My Son's Kindergarten Class Made Everyone Handmade Soap For Valentine's Day

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#102 Valentine's Dinner For Two

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#103 Our Yearly Valentine's Day Tradition

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#104 My Daughter Spent The Weekend Making Valentine's Day Cards For Her Kindergarten Class. She Didn't Forget Herself

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#105 Set Up This Little Valentine's Day Surprise For My Mom When She Gets Home

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#106 My Town Has Changed Standard Traffic Lights To Images Of A Couple In Love For The Upcoming St. Valentine's Day

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#107 Our First Valentine's Day Living Together. He Surprised Me With This Beautiful Meal In Our Tiny Apartment After He Had Set Up A Bath And Candles. I Love This Man

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#108 I’ve Always Hated Valentine’s Day, Until Yesterday. My Wife Of Almost 10 Years And Our 2-Year-Old Gave This To Me Inside A Store-Bought Card

I have never felt so touched or loved on Valentine's day. I broke down in tears of joy and I couldn’t be happier. I’ll never forget this Valentine’s day.

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#109 My Wife, Knowing I Love Sandwiches And Don't Like The Typical Romantic Stuff On Valentine's Day Made Me A Bouquet Of Meat Roses

Image credits: CauliflowerNinja

#110 I Haven't Had My Hair Done Professionally In Years Because It's So Expensive, So My Husband Gave Me This For Valentine's Day

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#111 Breakin' Hearts Since 2017. Happy Valentine's Day

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#112 Took Advance Of The Cold Temperatures, And Got A Little Creative With My Valentine's Gesture This Year

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#113 Happy Valentine's Day From My Heart-Shaped Cats

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#114 A Sweet Couple Walking Through Target. Made My Heart Happy Seeing Him Holding Her Purse And Then Dressed Up For Valentine’s Day

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#115 So Happy To Work As A Florist! This Was My Favorite Valentine's Day Order To Make

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#116 Home Style Valentine's Day Restaurant; We Couldn't Go Out To Dinner, So We Stayed In, Set The Table, Got Dressed Up And Cooked Our Own Restaurant Style Valentine's Day Dinner

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#117 Love Coupons My Girlfriend Made Me For Valentine's Day

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#118 It’s A Cold Night And I’m Staying In To Make Valentine’s Day Grams. For A Senior Living Center As Part Of Service Day For My Job

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#119 I Call This Design Heart-In-Heart For Valentine's Day

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#120 My Husband Gave Our Daughter A Diamond Necklace For Valentine’s Day

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#121 My Girlfriend Lives In Amsterdam, I Live In Texas, But We Still Had A Lovely Valentine's Lunch/Dinner Together

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#122 My Boyfriend Worked Around 80 Hours This Week And Still Managed To Make Me The Best Valentine’s Day Gift Ever

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#123 My Girlfriend Drew My Favorite Trading Card For Valentine's Day

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#124 My Wife And I Got Each Other The Same Thing For Valentine's Day

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#125 I (34M) Cross-Stitched My Wife Her Valentine's Day Gift. It's The Lyrics To Our First Dance

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#126 Valentine's Day Surprise? Nailed It

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#127 Made These At Work Today. I Work At A Hotel, For Some Lucky Couples. Valentine's Day Surprise

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#128 I Crocheted Heart-Shaped Coasters. Special For Valentine's Day

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#129 I Made These Cute Candy Heart Earrings For Valentine’s Day

Image credits: Cosmic-clay-designs