In a few days the day dedicated to the chubby cherub Cupid will be upon us. This time around I’ll be spending Valentine’s Day solo, but I’m hoping it’ll be another one of those where I don’t even remember it’s Valentine’s Day until the end of the day. In a day dedicated to all the lovers, if you’re in a relationship why not try something new and do something nice for your single friends?

Some people are single because they suffered a recent break up, or can’t find someone to settle down with or just don’t have an eye for a relationship at the moment. I know that everyone who is in any type of “coupledom” will find themselves going out with their significant other, but here are a few tips to brighten up your single friends’ day.

– Notes Send a note or a message saying how much you value the friendship. Sure, it may not be your friend’s love interest proclaiming a long burning crush on them, but it’ll make them smile. It’s super easy to do with MySpace and Facebook to write your friend a message or send a cute graphic. Comment Buddy has thousands of different comments you can send her on MySpace.

–Lunch Before you go out for that dinner date with your boyfriend have a lunch date with your friend at her favorite restaurant. There you can do some catching up and share some laughs. Please do NOT center the lunch date about your relationship with your significant other and how excited you are to see what they have planned. Keep the talk about other topics, unless she asks you about your plans.

–Buy her candy. Single people may hate V-Day, but that won’t stop them from enjoying a nice box of chocolates or some candy hearts. Or a fun alternative is looking up some recipes on line and making her some cute little deserts. If you two have time maybe take over one of your kitchens and bake them together. Need ideas? Visit JoyofBaking for recipes.

–Creative If all else fails as a good idea for your friend, be creative. You should know her pretty well so do something she doesn’t expect but that she’d like. Whether it’s running to Walmart and printing out pictures of you two together and making a small collage or scrapbook, or making her a basket of soaps and lotions of her favorite scent.

–Alternative Don’t have time to do any of the above because you have a busy Valentine’s Day? Ask your friend to do something fun the day before or the next day. Go on a shopping spree or find a fun museum to go to. Spend the afternoon discussing the complexities of the male gender and watch your favorite anti-romantic comedies.

For any of these tips to work you can’t make your friend feel like you pity her. Again, there are various reasons why your friend may be single so don’t assume she is longing for a relationship. Instead approach the situation nicely and just let her know you want to show her that you appreciate her friendship. Take back the meaning of Valentine’s Day from this ultra sappy romantic day and use it to show platonic love. She’ll most likely never forget it and you’re more likely to get a really nice birthday present this year.