“Compassion—which I would define as…unconditional love—is essential to a Jedi’s life.”

      – Anakin Skywalker

If you’re anything like a young Darth Vader, you are probably a Jedi Apprentice. And if you are training to be a Jedi, you probably find yourself #SuddenlySingle. Forever. On Valentine’s Day, some of us feel like we’ll be Jedi Apprentices for the rest of our lives. Don’t worry – you might have a career change and then go on to rule the galaxy with an iron fist. In the meantime, there is no reason you can’t celebrate Valentine’s Day with your platonic coworkers in a fun way. Pass out some gifts! Give your boss something impressive! Be like Anakin Skywalker, and show some compassion.

Classroom Valentines

Remember when you were a kid, or when your kids were kids? They passed out little paper valentines to everyone in the classroom. Or sometimes just to their friends if they were afraid of cooties. When I was a wee one, I had some classic Star Wars valentines with puns from Chewbacca and Princess Leia. Nowadays, they have LOLs, the Avengers, JoJo Siwa, and Paw Patrol. But there are also temporary tattoo valentines, scratch-off valentines, scratch ’n’ sniff, and even paper airplane valentines!

Who says kids get to have all the fun? You can still get a pack of little Valentines to hand out in the office. The puns they still use should give your coworkers a chuckle. If you’re looking for those old school valentines from when you were a lad or lass, you can still find PDFs of those. Print them at work and then cut them out. You can even add glue and glitter! Make a crafts project out of it!

Chocolate

Who doesn’t love chocolate! Your grocery store is really pushing the heart-shaped boxes, but look around the same aisle and you can find Fannie May in their classic white rectangular box. Or check your local confectioner or patisserie. Many holidays come down to the sweets and the feast, whether it’s candy, cookies, turkey, or goose. So despite the theme and the traditions, you all just want to eat something tasty. A pot luck on Valentine’s Day is a great occasion for coming together. Everyone in the office can bring their favorite dishes. Better yet, if you wait until it’s over, you can get a great deal on cakes and cookies the day after! So you can host a feast at work, take the gang out for lunch, or pass out sweets as everyone is heading home for the night.

Something Useful

If you are a manager or owner of your company, consider getting a gift for your employees just to remind them that even if they’re not in a couple (or a thruple) they are appreciated on this holiday. It can be something simple like some new pens. It can be company T-shirts or hats. It can be a new copy machine or a new coffeemaker.

You might even want to consider throwing a little party. It doesn’t have to be “singles only.” It can be welcome to all, with dancing, karaoke, video games, a snack buffet. Remind your employees that you care and that your business isn’t just about making money, it’s also about compassion. A little karaoke can go a long way. You can even get everyone together to sing our favorite song about Darth Vader!

DVDs, Blu-Rays, and Awesome Books

Do you read? Do your employees read? Whether they’re trying to enjoy some self-appreciation today or they just want to wallow, everyone who reads can enjoy a good book any day of the year. We recommend a good spy thriller, like Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. Your employees may prefer classics, like Joyce’s Dubliners or Ursula K. LeGuin’s The Left Hand of Darkness. Giving out books for a holiday is an excellent way to make an employee feel appreciated – you can personalize every selection to the recipient! Mystery novels and engrossing speculative fiction are perfect genres for

During the holidays, we suggested Die Hard a number of times. As everyone knows, it is a great Christmas movie. Some films are sappy or romantic. Some are a little steamy. We prefer to spend Valentine’s Day watching something else entirely. Who says you can’t eat Waffles for breakfast? Well, who says you can’t watch Halloween on V-Day!? Or Rocky III! Or The Sting! Check the bargain bin at Best Buy and pick up a few action flicks or horror shows. You can pass them out as funny party favors for the holiday. You can give them as gifts. Or get your AV team to set up the projector and put a movie on for the whole crew. Get votes as to what ridiculous or hilarious entertainment they have a hankering for on today of all days. For some folks, Valentine’s is a good day for professional wrestling. Or Coneheads. Or Revenge of the Sith.

A Night Out

Speaking of movies… If you want to go out with your coworkers, this is the night for it! You can see some of the Oscar nominees. You can go to a wine tasting event, an arcade, or a bowling alley. Visit a local arcade. Valentine’s doesn’t just have to be about a night out with a spouse. It can be a family event with the whole office encouraged to bring their friends, parents, pets, old coworkers, even old nemeses. Give all of these people in your life the greatest Valentine’s Day Gift of all. Give the gift… of good company.

Your office can really come alive and celebrate for a holiday about candy and kisses. If you get into the spirit, make sure to take some pictures and post them to your social media feed. Tag us, and we’ll share and retweet. Looking for some help getting started on your social media presence and brand awareness this February? Computhink can help! Thinking of taking over the galaxy with your old politician friend? …well, we can’t help with that. But we’re sure plucky young Anakin Skywalker can!