In our house, Stardew Valley isn't just a game, it's a family bonding experience. In about two months, we put over 100 hours into nurturing our farm, a testament to the game's captivating world. Although our son preferred to be in the mines with the monsters. We loved that the game could be molded to whatever you needed -- my husband would play by himself, or I'd join him after the kids went to bed, or we'd play as a whole family. Stardew Valley has become a cherished part of our family routine.
The Stardew Valley Valentine's Surprise
Last Valentine's Day, my husband and kids blended our virtual pastime with real-world celebration -- they gifted me with a basket brimming with goodies directly inspired by our in-game harvests! My present included:
- Mushrooms from harvesting
- Honey from our hives
- Apple from our trees
- Grapes from the vine
- Fresh milk
- Artisanal cheese (they gave me Babybel cheese)
- Strawberries
- And even a can of "Joja Cola", which was Coca-Cola, cleverly rebranded with duct tape
Other Gift Ideas
My family mainly just collected the items from around the house, but there are lots of other things you could include in this Stardew Valley Valentine's Basket:
- Animals: Get stuffed animals! Or some real animals, if you're wanting to start that real-life farm...
- Artisan Goods - Animal Products: These are largely things you could grab at the grocery store...
- Mayonnaise, cheese, cloth, truffle oil, or wool
- Artisan Goods - Equipment Products: Some more things you could grab at the store, or learn how to make them yourself!
- Honey, jelly, preserves, wine, beer, pale ale, mead, juice, pickles, coffee, green tea, sunflower oil, corn oil, sunflower seeds, or caviar
- Minerals: Grab your significant other some jewelry!
- Tools: Bring the video game to life by buying tools to make these video game products in real life!
- Oil press for making oil, keg or an at-home beer maker, preserves jar or tools on how to how to can, seeds for starting your own garden
The Joy of In-Game Relationships
While tending to crops and caring for animals, we discovered another amusing aspect of Stardew Valley - the option to pursue relationships with the game's other townspeople, the nonplayer characters (NPC). My husband and I would sit together playing the game, and found ourselves chuckling over the fact that our characters were dating other people in the game. It really bothered our kids, which made it even better. While we could have married each other in the game, we decided to go after the NPCs, because they would join our farm and help with tasks like repairing fences. And my new husband, Shane, brought his blue chickens to the farm with him.
Make Valentine's Day Fun
Believe it or not, Valentine's Day doesn't have to be totally serious. Why not just make it fun and joyful, and full of love? What is your favorite Valentine's Day memory? Your favorite present?
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