If it were a normal year this upcoming weekend would be filled with lots of in person love and laughter. It seems interesting that the year that Valentine’s Day and Family Day are back to back is the year we can not be around our loved ones unless they are a part of our bubble. There are also few options to do things socially distanced, with the arctic winds that are rippling through the province (no time for a spaced out picnic when our food will blow away and you can’t feel your fingers!)

Photo via www.demystifyinsurance.com/

Family Day may have slipped your mind, or you’re only excited about it because it means it’s a long weekend but this is not the holiday to put on the back burner. Where Valentine’s Day is fun and filled with romantic gestures and candy hearts and cheap flowers with cards attached, Family Day is important for all the non-capitalistic reasons that we gloss over it for. 

If the pandemic has taught me anything it has reaffirmed the importance of family/ friends that feel like family. Where Valentine’s Day we focus on romance, Family Day is where we value the truest people in our lives. 

So take this holiday as a day to celebrate the other relationships in your life. Call up your mom, your closest cousin, your best friend that feels like a sister and check in on them. In a time where we are putting such an emphasis on mental health and the pandemic (and for good reason) it is good to check on the most important people around you. 

Have a safe and happy Family Day!