海角大神

Alas, even Cupid is feeling the affects of the recession.

This Valentine鈥檚 Day, the nation鈥檚 lovebirds 鈥� squeezed like everyone else 鈥� are getting creative, choosing foot massages and chocolate fondue at home over a dozen roses and a high-priced dinner out.

Others have turned the traditional adult night out into a family affair, baking heart-shaped cakes and celebrating what they see as the real meaning of the holiday.

In short, this year is more like Valentine鈥檚 on a dime, as Americans plan to spend about 20 percent less than last year, according to the National Retail Federation.

Crimped wallets

Its annual Valentine鈥檚 survey found the same number of people who spent money on flowers and chocolate last year plan on doing so by Saturday, but they鈥檙e just not going to spend quite as much.

鈥淵ou鈥檒l find a lot less money being spent on high-end gifts 鈥� like jewelry and cars 鈥� but candy and flowers, and maybe teddy bears, won鈥檛 be affected that much,鈥� says Dennis Jacobe, chief economist at the Gallup Organization. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 because of the trade-down effect: You have both the traditional people who are buying those gifts and then those who are鈥� also buying them instead of more expensive ones.

But Corinne Van Plaar has decided to forgo even the flowers and chocolates. She鈥檚 spending Valentine鈥檚 at home with her two kids, in part because of the recession. She still has a job at Dudley鈥檚 Paw, a pet shop on Greenwich Street in New York. But she and her children know several people who鈥檝e recently become unemployed. That鈥檚 given her kids a new understanding.

鈥淭hey鈥檙e really grateful for having a roof over their head, heat, and having food on the table,鈥� says Ms. Van Plaar. And so she鈥檚 using this Valentine鈥檚 Day to remind them of what love is really about. 鈥淚t鈥檚 basically about being together and telling each other that you really care and love each other,鈥� she says. "I鈥檓 baking a heart-shaped cake for my kids, and we鈥檙e just going to tell each other we love each other 鈥� real simple.鈥�

Trading romance for fun

Shawn Ward from Milton, Mass., and his wife have also decided to make Valentine鈥檚 a family affair. They usually hire a baby sitter and go out for a romantic dinner. Instead, they鈥檙e making it a 鈥渇un day instead,鈥� although he wanted to keep the details a secret until Saturday so as not to ruin the surprise.

鈥淭his is the first Valentine鈥檚 Day we鈥檙e doing it all as a family,鈥� he says. 鈥淲e鈥檙e not paying a baby sitter, we鈥檙e not doing anything elaborate. It wasn鈥檛 intentional, but I guess it is recession-related. We鈥檙e being careful.鈥�

But for others, even in a recession, 鈥渁 rose is rose is a rose,鈥� to quote the poet Gertrude Stein. And florists around the nation say sales are still good, if not great. Thirty-five percent of Americans say they intend to buy their loved ones flowers, about the same percent as last year.

Flower sales robust

At Flora Tech, a storefront flower shop in the trendy Tribeca district of New York, the glass-fronted refrigerators are packed with a rainbow array of specialty cut flowers, but what stands out are the dozens of luscious deep red roses. Sales have been brisk, but the dollar amount rung up for each one is a little bit less than last year.

鈥淣ot having roses on Valentine鈥檚 is like not having kisses on romantic evenings,鈥� says Michael Collarone (鈥渁办补 Mikey Flowers鈥�), an owner of Flora Tech. 鈥淕ranted, everybody鈥檚 a little afraid, but ... if somebody deserves roses on Valentine鈥檚 Day, they get roses.鈥� Even if it鈥檚 just the one.

For now, at least, Peter Glyman is sticking with a full dozen. He isn鈥檛 going to let the recession crimp his Valentine鈥檚 style. He鈥檚 planning on buying his wife flowers and chocolates and taking her out to dinner on Saturday.

鈥淚t鈥檚 the one holiday you really can鈥檛 skimp on,鈥� says Mr. Glyman of Tolland, Conn., adding a joke about the role of the long-suffering husband: 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the price we pay.鈥�

Chocolate sales up

And it鈥檚 not just flowers that are proving resilient this Valentine鈥檚. As Milton Snavely Hershey, the founder of Hershey Chocolate Co. noted, 鈥淐hocolate is a permanent thing.鈥� Chocolatiers around the US say sales are actually up, despite the downturn. For example, Hershey鈥檚 recently announced its profits jumped 51 percent.

The Village Chocolatier, a small storefront on the historic green in Guilford, Conn., is also having a record year. The biggest sellers so far this Valentine鈥檚 are heart-shaped dark chocolates covered with different-colored foils and chocolate hearts filled with truffles.

鈥淚t鈥檚 the look and the aroma of chocolate: It鈥檚 delicate and sweet, even before you taste it in your mouth,鈥� says Ingrid Collins, owner of the Village Chocolatier, explaining why she thinks her sales are still up despite the economy.

Jane Brown in Myrtle Beach, S.C. doesn鈥檛 need to be sold on chocolate鈥檚 ability to bring a little romance to an evening. She recommends chocolate fondue and foot massages as an economical Valentine鈥檚 Day alternative.

鈥淚t isn鈥檛 very expensive 鈥� and you can feed each other,鈥� she says.

Romance at home

Up in New Hampshire, Charlene Smith-Fadden saw Ms. Brown鈥檚 idea on a friend鈥檚 Facebook page and decided that might be a good alternative to going out to eat. She and her husband had originally planned to have dinner at the Olive Garden, using a gift card they received through credit-card bonus points.

鈥淪ince they don鈥檛 take reservations and it is Valentine鈥檚 Day, we鈥檙e going to go on Friday night instead to avoid the mayhem,鈥� she writes in an e-mail.

It鈥檚 part of the family鈥檚 effort to be prudent. 鈥淭he recession hasn鈥檛 鈥榟it鈥� us yet, other than the fear that it could, so we鈥檙e trying to keep things in line,鈥� she writes.

Still, it is Valentine鈥檚 Day and Ms. Smith-Fadden is determined that it be 鈥渁 GREAT DATE!鈥� recession and all.