Netflix and chill has run its course, my friends. Sure, for a while there it was fun to invite over the object of your affection under the guise that you'll watch some smart documentary just to pull a bait-and-switch with your dick, but it's time to get creative again.
This Valentine's Day, go the extra mile to make your sweetie smile with these inexpensive activities where everyone comes out a winner.
1. Shop the Antique Store For a Secret Gift
My boyfriend and I recently planned this activity at a local antique mall, and we had a blast doing it. The gist of the game is to find the perfect Valentine's gift for each other – but there's a catch: You can't spend more than $20. Sounds tricky when you're browsing antiques, but if you go to a large-enough center, you'll find a treasure trove of small trinkets, odd and ends, and this-and-thats. Keep an eye out for sales, too. Many antiques stores rent out booths to sellers, and some of those sellers have sales on occasion. In fact, the gift I picked for my guy – an old Welmy Six camera, circa 1951, to symbolize all the adventure ahead – retailed for $60, but the booth offered 75 percent off. I copped the piece for $15, and he'll receive a gift that he'll cherish forever. Can't wait to see what mine is!
2. Play a Naughty Board Game
If the late-night moves are getting stale, bring in a board game. Silly, but give it a chance – there are plenty of options available to suit just about every level of kink. I've played an adult board game in the past, and I can say with certainty that not only is it exciting – my heart was literally pounding with anticipation when we first started – it leads to the good stuff rather quickly; I'm not sure we ever finished the game, but nobody lost that night. Mind you, there aren't many same-sex-oriented games available, but Sexopoly, in particular, is accommodating to any persuasion.
3. Buy New Undies Together and Show 'Em Off
Like how your beau looks when they shimmy down to their skivvies? Up the ante – and freshen up both your underwear drawers – with a trip to your favorite place to pick up boxers, briefs and everything in between. Browsing the sensual selection will get the blood flowing – face it, we've all spent too much time staring at the Calvin Klein boxes at Marshalls – and you'll be ready to burst by the time you get home to put on your own private fashion show.
4. Plan a Meal to Cook Naked
This year, my valentine and I will be arriving home from a quick vacay to Miami on Feb. 14, which leaves little time (or energy) to get all gussied up after a day of travel just to brave the holiday dinner crowds. Instead, we've planned a decadent meal of steak, wine and dessert – courtesy of my very own kitchen – that we'll prepare together in the buff. If you want to follow suit, consider this precaution: Wear aprons by the fire so you don't damage the dangly bits.
5. Pour the Wine and Divulge Your Fantasies
Plenty of couples are open to sexploration – especially us gays – but what we do with our partners may only scratch the surface of what we'd like to try. So talk about it. Pour a big glass of your favorite vintage and discuss your fantasies. Reminisce about the best sex you've ever had with one another, reveal what your partner does that still makes you tingle, and introduce fresh ideas and scenarios to usher in a new era of pleasure.
6. Blow Each Other in a Dressing Room
Listen, I'm not advocating that you be a pervert in public, but what nobody knows won't hurt them. Personally, I've engaged in a little dressing-room foreplay – we were both trying on clothes behind the same door and things got out of control (in a very good way) – and it was exhilarating and satisfying. To pull it off without going to jail, keep it quick, keep it quiet, and, above all, keep the door locked.
7. Fire Stick and Dick
I couldn't pass up the opportunity to mention this meme; I saw it the other day on social media and it made me chuckle. Same idea as Netflix and chill, but for fancy people. Time to raise your standards.
