5 fun Valentine's Day dates

From heart-festooned department stores to specials on chocolates and roses, it can seem like Valentine's Day is entirely controlled by the holiday marketing machine.

It's time for couples to reclaim the holiday and put a stop to the formulaic chocolates/flowers/teddy bear routine, says Toronto Sun relationship columnist Valerie Gibson, a regular TV and radio commentator on love, sex and relationships. "I think we've all fallen into the Christmas trap where you think if you buy enough stuff, it fills up the season," says Gibson, the author of Cougar: A Guide for Older Women Dating Younger Men (Key Porter Books, 2001).

Here are five innovative ways to inject passion back into the day for lovers:

1. Learn a skill and try it out.
Take a few beginner classes in massage therapy and surprise your honey with the royal treatment: lotions, soft candlelight, romantic music and a demonstration of what you've learned. Or enroll in cooking lessons and then prepare a lavish meal for your partner, or learn to play an instrument and then surprise your mate with a live serenade.

"I knew one lady who took piano lessons, and when (her husband) came home she was playing their piano," says Gibson. "She was playing some romantic melodies. It was such a sweet thing."

2. Acquire a new skill together.
Joining a class with your partner may require a bit more planning, but the shared time and commitment would be worth it. It could include signing up for salsa or ballroom dancing lessons, taking art courses together or taking a weekend crash course in rock climbing, scuba diving or origami.

3. Fantasy photo shoot.
Hire a professional photographer who has a flair for originality, and then choose an imaginative way to capture yourselves on film - at a scenic park, by the waterfront, by a favourite monument, on a bridge, on a boat. Try some fun, zany poses, and dress up in offbeat costumes - why not get decked out as your favourite Hollywood couple?

4. Relationship scavenger hunt.
Relive old memories while making new ones by setting up a course with clues that relate to the intimate details of your relationship. For example, your first date, when/where you first kissed, your most romantic holiday together, etc. Answers to each clue lead you to places that hold significance for you both - where you first confessed your love to each other, where you got engaged and so on. "You can end up where you had your first date, or where you met," Gibson says. "It's fun and also fairly inexpensive."

5. Play local tourist for a day.
Rediscovering the city or town you live in is a surefire way to infuse Valentine's Day with a sense of adventure. Plan a day that includes visits to historic sites, museums, art galleries, parks, vineyards, beaches - any part of your area you love to visit, or haven't yet visited and want to check out. Ultimately, says Gibson, a little thought can go a long way in creating a memorable and adventurous Valentine's Day.

"It is work to put thought into a relationship, and to find out what it is that would make someone's face light up with pleasure and love," Gibson says. But, she adds, Valentine's Day can be a wonderful opportunity to give and receive love.

How much do you really know about this love-filled day? Take our Valentine's Day quiz and find out.

Want to cook up something sweet for your sweetie? Get 14 Valentine's Day recipes for your yummiest Feb. 14 ever!