Unexpected Ways to Celebrate Valentine’s Day!

      Every year, on the 14th day of Awakening, it is Valentine’s Day! Symbolized by pink hearts and Cupid Neggs, Valentine’s Day is often accompanied with exchanging gifts and spending time with your loved ones. That thought can inspire either happiness or dread in all Neopians. After all, there is a lot of pressure to show your beloved Neopets how much you care about them. Most Neopians think that they have to give extravagant gifts or paint their Neopets a fancy new color to show how much they care. But there are other ways to show your love and appreciation to your pets on this day without the mushiness or heart shaped chocolates. (Note: this is NOT a guide to an anti-Valentine’s Day! This is a list of creative ways to celebrate the holiday.)

      Tyrannian Concert Hall

      As the saying goings, experiences are better than possessions. Instead of giving chocolate that will only last until it’s consumed, you can give a memory that’ll last a lifetime! Why not spend the afternoon jamming out to the Mellow Marauders? They play on the 14th of every month, so you can make a tradition of seeing these swashbuckling singers every Valentine’s Day! At a cost of 1250 NPs per ticket, you can bring all your Neopets to the show and have enough NP left over to grab a post-concert snack at the Tyrannian Food restaurant. Still not convinced? After the show, you’ll receive free Mellow Marauders band merchandise – you’ll be gifting both an experience and a new possession!

      Attach a Petpet

      If your Neopet does not already have a Petpet attached, consider getting one for them! They make great companions and will accompany your Neopet through thick and thin. Bring your Neopet around to Petpet stores and see which Petpet they bond with. Like anything else, your Neopets will have preferences with Petpets, as both have their own personalities. The price range of Petpets range drastically, and there are options for any budget. If you want to commemorate the holiday, though, you can get one of the eleven Petpets that can be painted Valentine! Those would be: Noil, Cirrus, GX-4 Oscillabot, Rock, Lyns, Acko, Farnswap, Turtmid, Slorg, Bearog, and Kadoatie. No matter what you choose, your Neopet will have a forever friend long after the holiday is over.

      Igloo Garage Sale

      If you and your Neopets still want to exchange Valentine’s Day gifts, you can make a fun occasion out of it! Scale the peaks of Terror Mountain to find the Igloo Garage Sale, where Mika and Carassa sell a multitude of quality items for bargain prices! For example, you can get Heart Petit Fours for 356 NPs and Wilted Red Roses for 191 NPs. It isn’t about how much you spend on the gift, it’s about putting in the effort to find a gift that your Neopet will enjoy. Shopping here is like a scavenger hunt, and you’ll end up with some sweet new Valentine’s Day presents.

      Feed a Kadoatie!

      On a day when most Neopians are gifting in extravagance, you can choose to give to the needy. Instead of buying Valentine’s Day gifts for each other, you and your Neopets can use the Neopoints you would’ve spent on gifts on acts of charity. Helping others is extremely fulfilling and a good bonding experience for you and your Neopets! The Kadoatery, which acts like a hotel for Kadoaties when their owners are away, is always in need of helping hands to care for their finicky eaters. Bring lots of food (and patience) and be prepared to hunker down for a few hours to feed a Kad or two. But after your hard work, you and your Neopet will leave with a fuzzy feeling, and you’ll receive a trophy for your efforts!

      Cooking Pot

      Instead of splurging for an expensive dinner, you can bring your Neopets to the Cooking Pot in Mystery Island and make your own Valentine’s Day meal. In addition to creating a delicious home cooked meal together, you can spend quality time with your Neopets that you just can’t get from a restaurant. Jhudiah, the Island Faerie, oversees the cooking pot, and allows you to mix between one to three unique items in your inventory to potentially create a brand-new item! Here are options for a delicious Valentine’s Day five course meal you and your Neopets can make at the Cooking Pot, adjust for personal taste preferences:

      Soup: Meatball Broth (Hot Soup and Snowghetti and Meatballs) or Watermelon Soup (Bottle of Water and Juicy Melon)

      Appetizer: Chicken Roll (Spicy Wings and Hot Cakes) or Fundus Fruit (Fungi Fruit and Strong Berry)

      Salad: Deluxe Organic Salad (Organic Red Grapes and Flowers) or Octle Salad (Grapple and Red Octopepper)

      Entrée: Baked Fish (Lemon and Lime Fish Pop and Organic Carrot), Roast Gargamon (Salmon Steak and Roast Gargapple), or Sweet Ham and Fruit (Muntando Fruit and Joint of Ham)

      Dessert: Ice Chocolate Cake (Icy Negg and Chocolate Cake) or Deluxe Chocolate Chia (White Chocolate Chia and Chocolate Chia Truffle)

      Drink: Cherry Neocola (Can of Neocola and Cherries) or Hot Chocolate (Hot Soup and Chocolate Milkshake)

      Have fun cooking (and eating)!

      Stargazing

      (NOTE: for this activity, you will have had to complete enough steps in the Altador plot to have mounted the telescope on the stand. This plot is still open!)

      To round out your Valentine’s Day night, head over to Altador’s Hall of Heroes for prime stargazing. Go up the stairs to your left to reach the top floor, which is a dome-shaped observatory with a telescope (again, it will only be there if you have put it there!) in the middle of the room. When you click on the mounted telescope, you and your Neopets can view the spectacular Neopian night sky. Enjoy pointing out patterns and constellations, finding pre-discovered ones or making up your own!

      Did you like any of the ideas on the list? Valentine’s Day does not always have to be flashy and expensive; it can also be wholesome and full of wonderful experiences. No matter how you choose to spend the day, it is always successful as long as you have fun with your beloved Neopets! Happy Valentine’s Day to all!