5 Tips for being Single on Valentines Day
By Kim Hughes, Editor in Chief of Click Magazine

Yes, it's nearly Valentine's Day -- a potential romantic minefield for singles if ever there was one.  But fret not! Here are five awesome dateless options that will make even your most blissfully coupled friends envious of your
Valentine's Day plans.

1. Keep it in Perspective
True, being solo when it seems like the rest of the planet is partnered, doe-eyed and enjoying a romantic dinner is a bit harsh. But in the scheme of things, is it really so bad? Think of the upside - you'll be saving calories and cash and probably helping the environment, too (fewer late-night cabs on the roads). If ever there was a time to remind yourself that Valentine's Day is sly emotional warfare waged by greeting-card companies and florists, this is it.

2. Spoil Yourself
A huge advantage to being single? Surplus discretionary income, baby! Now is the time to splurge on a spa day, massage, shiny new trinket and/or nifty electronic device. If you're really flush, consider an action-packed quickie getaway to Vegas. If there is a guaranteed means of obliterating a date on the calendar, it’s a day spent scarfing piles of 99-cent lobster and buckets of complimentary rum-and-Cokes while blowing the laundry money on slots.

3. Celebrate Halloween on the Screen
How many times has this happened to you: October 31 is looming and tantalizing critics' lists of scariest, most disturbing movies are posted everywhere. But by the time you make it to your local, everything but Shrek the Third is rented. This year, gather a bunch of pals around the flat-screen, cue up off-season (and thus widely available) thrillers like Halloween and The Omen and scream the night away.

4. Shore up your Karma
Offer to babysit for a harried married friend who could really use a romantic night on the town. Volunteer to walk dogs or groom cats and rabbits at the local animal shelter. See if the local food bank can use an extra set of hands to sort those pre-Easter supplies. Whatever. You'll be making a deposit to the good karma bank and potentially putting yourself in the path of another selfless and socially conscious single.  

5. Host the Best Darn Singles Party, Like, Ever
You may feel like the last single standing but statistics know otherwise. With over 96 million singles in North America today, not everyone will be celebrating Valentine’s Day in the typical way, so this year Lavalife and superstar Chef Todd English offer 10 recipes for a fun and economic Valentine’s Day alternative. Gather your solo friends (and friends of friends), uncork some choice vino and feast on easy-peasy homemade delectables like Fried Oysters, Fresh Margherita Pizzas and Shrimp Tacos. Your reputation as host/hostess with the most will instantly skyrocket.



About Kim Hughes - Kim Hughes is the Editor in Chief of Click Magazine, a new global online magazine published exclusively for singles by Lavalife.com. An accomplished media professional with a dossier spanning four verticals (web, print, radio and television), a reputation for journalistic excellence and a relentless curiosity about everything, Kim is a dynamo in a dynamic field.

A journalism grad, widely published Toronto-based writer/editor and indomitable pop culture freak, Kim’s feature articles, interviews, reviews, essays and editorials have appeared in NOW, The Globe & Mail, Toronto Star, National Post, Report on Business, Salon Magazine, Utne Reader, Billboard, Amazon.com, Beer.com and many others across North America. Kim is something of a media hog. While music editor at Toronto-based alternative weekly NOW, she produced and hosted a nightly news magazine show called “Live in Toronto” on rock radio station Edge 102, and was voted “On-Air Personality of the Year” in 1994.

Simultaneously, she was music editor-at-large for national television program “On the Arts” on CBC Newsworld, alongside author David Gilmour. She spent a year in the Pacific Northwest helping Seattle-based Amazon.com establish and populate their first-ever Canadian site, Amazon.ca. Kim also served for two years as morning/midday anchor on XM Satellite Radio's Channel 52.

In addition to overseeing content on Click Magazine and several other websites operated by Lavalife.com, Kim indulges her love of lit as non-fiction books reviewer for the Toronto Star and Amazon.ca while acting as monthly music reviewer for Report on Business Magazine. A Leo, Kim loves long walks on the beach, ketchup chips and the slavish admiration of her peers. She thinks Click Magazine is pretty nifty, too. 

Kim was a featured guest on Champagne Sundays online radio show on January 25, 2009. To meet the rest of the guests and listen to the entire, unedited show, please click here. To listen to Kim's interview, please double click on the Play Button below.