Christmas came and went and then Valentine’s Day arrived to claim whatever was left in our wallets. As college students, one can only assume that there wasn’t much in there to begin with. Yet still, Kay Jewelers and Godiva commercials served as a merciless ode to failure in just about every department: love, strict diets, and the pending disappointment Feb. 14 usually inflicts.

But the season’s truest failure is poor planning. It’s not so much the single girls that go dateless stuffing their faces with cheap chocolate, or the couples that are squished together in a down town hot spot marking their first Valentine’s with random strangers that tarnish the V-day experience. It is the stressful expectations of it all.

These expectations normally require some type of corny display of rose petals thrown across the bedroom and flowing champagne in order for it to be a successful Valentine’s Day. When what we have really overlooked is the psychology that goes into it.

But now for the real question: What really goes into a good Valentine’s Day?

A mutual hatred of the medieval holiday spawns from one’s confusion of whether you’ve gone overboard or underboard. And sadly, there are consequences to both.

Sure, she’s going to tell you she doesn’t want anything and while that may be true, calling the guys over for poker night is not a proper alternative. Every kiss begins with Kay, but so does kicking your tail to the curb.

Tawkify, the New York City based matchmaking service that prides itself on connecting high quality clients from their reputable pool of hopeful romantics, waits all year for this holiday. Their co-founder, E. Jean Carroll, and long time advice columnist at Elle Magazine doesn’t play around with scrolling tinder apps or OKCupid horn dogs. She and her Tawkify team strive to build relationships that are meant to last.

Eve Blazo, one of Tawkify’s matchmaking mavens, claims that “reclaiming Valentine’s Day is all about making it your own. You can do something as big and grand or little and silly as you want, because this day is about you, and your boo spending time together in a way that makes you both feel good.”

With a little help from Carroll and her Tawkify love doctors, the Impact helps you reclaim V-day without going over or underboard. Because corny and cliché as Valentines may be, no one wants to celebrate it alone. So let’s see how your ideas stacked up against The Impact’s. 

 For the New Couple: Share an experience together

It is way too early for jewelry and heavy dinner dates spent staring into each other’s eyes, so keep it casual and step out of your comfort zone.

• Meet at City Bakery for the Hot Chocolate Festival on 3 West 18th Street. They’re known for having the best chocolate chaud in the city.
• Catch a documentary at the Lower East Side’s Sunshine Theatre.
• Escape to the Mckittrick Hotel in Chelsea’s gallery district for Sleep No More. Follow the British Theatre Company’s rendition of Shakespeare’s Macbeth.
• Truth or Dare: ask each other naughty and nice questions…
• Do. Not. Leave. Bed.

The In-Betweeners:

It’s been three months and things are starting to move to the next level. Don’t get caught underboard and be careful not to push it overboard. You have her Netflix password and used her toothbrush that one time. It’s safe to say we are going to need more than a card in this department.

• Sexy scavenger hunt: send your date on a wild goose chase and end up directing him/her to a clandestine location where you’ll be waiting with candles and chocolate treats….
• Cook together! Stay in and conjure up aphrodisiac foods for each other!
• Or…skip dinner and feed each other homemade decadent deserts.
• Sneak away into one of the cities private gardens for a late night make out session (just don’t get caught, the members are often wary about strangers. But what’s life without a little risk?)
• Do. Not. Leave. Bed.

In it for the long haul:      

Going big doesn’t necessarily mean you have to break the bank. Remember, it’s the thought that counts! And if that doesn’t work get the good chocolate!

• Hide little love notes where your significant other will unexpectedly find them! Pen sweet nothings, sugary compliments, or inside jokes on little pieces of paper. Slide them into his/her cabinets, drawers, bed sheets, and bag…
• Pop in some tunes you both love and have a little private dance party
• Text each other sweet nothings or sexy somethings once every hour…
• Buy him/her Twenty Love Poems book by Pablo Neruda from a local used bookstore
• Get intimate with Love&Paint’s new Prive’ home kit. Use your bodies to christen a canvas and hang it as art in your living room. It’ll hang as a secret reminder of your special Valentines together.
• Do. Not. Leave. Bed.