【The Exotic Time Machine】

It's hard to find reasons to like Valentine's Day.

It's terrible if you are The Exotic Time Machinesingle, and it's expensive if you are not. Unquestionably, it has become over-commercialized and a source of unneeded stress.

If you feel like you are drowning in a pink sea of teddy bears and chocolate hearts, this is us throwing you a lifeline. Dessert expert Christine McConnell is here to save us all with an absolutely on point Stranger Things-themed Valentine's Day.

Because love is scary and definitively downright strange.

"I'm not sure what sparked the idea," McConnell said, when asked why she chose Stranger Things as a theme, "but I think Valentine's Day hit its peak for me in elementary school and Stranger Thingsbrings back so many childhood memories. So to me, it was a great fit."

McConnell made every single item herself in this eerie Valentine's Day spread -- the candy, candy packaging and all the decadent desserts.

"I designed all the packages in Photoshop, drawing inspiration from all things 1983," McConnell explained. "Then [I] printed them on my home printer and assembled them in my kitchen."

And let's not forget the stranger desserts, which are the real stars of McConnell's amazing V-Day celebration.

"I only started baking about four to five years ago and the ideas keep getting bigger and more elaborate," McConnell said about her baking prowess. "My only limitations are time and money."

She credits her affinity for sweets as the starting point of her dessert-making passion.

"One day, [I] decided to to try baking a cake at home. Things just kind of snowballed from there.

All told it took McConnell around a month to design, create, bake, decorate and shoot her very Stranger ThingsValentine's Day.

Finally, in light of the recently released Season 2 trailer, we asked super-fan McConnell if she has any thoughts about what may happen.

"How AMAZING was that sneak peek they posted?" McConnell gushed. "It looks like it's going to really flesh out what the Upside Down is! I'm beyond excited, if you can't tell."

We're excited too, but we are arguably more excited about every single thing in this Valentine's Day spread. We never thought there would be a day where we would say that about Feb. 14

Links to the recipes for these desserts as well as to downloadable templates for all Stranger Things candy packaging above can be found on Food.com. You can follow McConnell's dessert adventures on her Instagram.

ppq

Expert writer and contributor. Passionate about sharing knowledge and insights on various topics.