February is officially the point of winter where it can feel like the cold season has gone on forever. I mean, we even look to a groundhog to try to give us hope spring is on its way (thanks for nothing this year, Punxsutawney Phil). If this isn’t the perfect time of year to give your loved ones a boost by showing them you care about them, I don’t know when is. Luckily, the calendar gives us Valentine’s Day.
Of course, in the movies, this is a day of lavish gifts and fancy dinners, but that’s not everyone’s cup of tea or always necessary. How about some more realistic and farm-approved ways to celebrate the occasion? After all, it’s the sentiment that matters, especially if you’re both working in a complex farm business. Maybe one of these simple gestures can help show you care and make another winter day a little more special:
• Get their barn clothes warm before they go out in the morning or gift some hand warmers.
• Fix that thing they need to do their job that’s been broken or leaking or just not working right and making their life harder.
• Bring home a plant or some seeds that can jumpstart the garden once spring arrives.
• You’re dairy farmers — take time to enjoy your fresh product together with some of their favorite cookies.
• Stock up on materials or tools they use constantly and are always running out of.
• Make some time to help them with that job they’ve had to put off because they can’t do it themselves.
• Or, put off a chore that can wait until tomorrow to do something fun together.
• You probably see the sunrise every day. Take a few moments to watch it together.
• Tell them you appreciate what they do.
Here’s to a happy Valentine’s Day no matter how you celebrate with your loved ones. Hopefully, you just don’t have to move cattle with them.
Katelyn Allen joined the Hoard’s Dairyman team as the Publications Editor in August 2019 and is now an associate editor. Katelyn is a 2019 graduate of Virginia Tech, where she majored in dairy science and minored in communication. Katelyn grew up on her family’s registered Holstein dairy, Glen-Toctin Farm, in Jefferson, Md.