BY SANDRA GUY

Whether you’ve always thought Valentine’s Day was overrated or you can’t wait to celebrate, the dawning of the New Year and upcoming coronavirus vaccines offer a great opportunity to celebrate — with lots of safety and creativity.

It doesn’t have to be expensive. Try these ideas:

• If you live with your Valentine, make your home a romantic oasis. Cut out paper hearts and leave them as surprise hand-written love notes. If your loved one goes to a workplace, slip a love note — or a note of gratitude — in his or her lunch bag or coat pocket.
• Carve out some quiet time and look through scrapbooks, photo collections and other compilations. Enjoy the precious memories.
• If you need some help, you can find conversation-starter sets with questions such as “What song reminds you of a romantic time that we spent together?” or
• Make a Valentine’s Day playlist of love songs or stream a virtual concert that you’ll both enjoy.
• Go on a bike ride or a hike, or ski or work out together. You can even invest in a “hot” winter trend: A back-yard ice rink. Or just have an impromptu campout in the back yard.
• Make chocolate fondue to pour onto strawberries, and top off the treat with a glass of champagne.
• Download a Night Sky app to stargaze, or design a vision board for the New Year by cutting out images from old magazines, newspapers and calendars.

And if your significant other just won’t cooperate, there’s always Galentine’s  Day — a day for women to celebrate one another – single or not.

A few ideas to keep it fun:

* Exchange gift cards to a virtual yoga or paint class (another big hit is pairing wine gifting with virtual painting class).

* Give each other — or have delivered to keep it safe — fuzzy/cheesy character socks.

* Send hand sanitizer paired with hand lotions/softeners/do-it-yourself spa treatments.

* Ship each other journals or adult coloring books complete with markers and colored pencils.

* Buy mugs that stay heated, along with a new sensation  — coffee that’s packaged in what looks like tea bags (coffee bags).

* Gift each other comfy pajamas/onesies that look good on Zoom.

* And get your best friend a terrarium (plastic or real ones; makes no difference). They’re still adorable.

Not only will your Valentine pal — gal or guy — feel incredibly loved, but you will feel fabulous, too, for being such a wonderful Cupid.