One Valentine’s Day many years ago my husband and I were caught in a tornado.

Luckily the only major damage we experienced was to our plans for the night. The entire area lost power and every restaurant and grocery store was closed. When we got home from work and pondered our “romantic” night ahead, I was optimistic we could salvage our night. My optimism quickly faded, however, when I realized the power outage would mean we would be eating cold food out of a can and freezing our behinds off in our small two-bedroom apartment since our heater was electrically powered.

Because we were powerless in every way to turn our pathetic Valentine’s Day into anything more than a very long, very cold night, we vowed to never have a bad Valentine’s Day again in the years to come. So, here are three tried-and-true ways to celebrate Feb. 14 so you don’t end up huddled around a candy cane-scented candle leftover from Christmas pondering its ability to heat a room.

1. Go out on Feb. 13.
Once we started shelling out the big bucks for a babysitter my husband and I decided that crowded restaurants and long lines only added up to an expensive night. We discovered that going out a day early meant empty theatres and no need for reservations.

2. Celebrate with the kids, too.
I usually make a “red” and “pink” meal and we eat from festive plates with our young romantics. Start with a shrimp appetizer, dive into spaghetti and meatballs (Lady and the Tramp-style) and then wash it all down with cherry 7-Up.

3. Nothing beats a great movie.
After dinner gather everyone on the couch and watch a kid-friendly romance like “Enchanted” or “Little Manhattan.” After the kids are tucked away, flip on the classic chick-flick “The Notebook” or the guy-friendly “First Knight.”

Question: What’s your favorite romantic movie?