When I was in college, I traded car keys with a trusted friend who lived nearby in case we ever got locked out or needed to trade car for truck. She was always busy, and worked and went to school full time. On her birthday, she had to work, but rode with a friend to work. I stole her truck and washed and detailed it, and took all of the papers and other random stuff, threw out the trash and neatly put the rest in a bag behind the seat so if there were any important papers, she would still have them. That night we went out, and I asked if I could drive her in her truck. She didn’t notice, but the next morning I got a call from a very grateful friend who said it was the absolute sweetest thing anyone had ever done for her and she still couldn’t believe it. She still mentioned the story years later. Total cost: about $4.00 at the self service car wash!
A great gift for a valentine of any age that loves animals would be for you to give a gift certificate to adopt a pet from a local shelter. This would make the animal lover happy and save a pet’s life. It would be two presents wrapped in one! I also would include a small assortment of animal toys, food, treats, and a bed, so that there would be no initial cost to the recipient. Steve from a Seattle animal shelter reminds us to give a gift certificate instead of the actual pet so that both owner and pet are a good match–best accomplished by a visit to the shelter by the gift recipient!
Warning: this is a project for those who don’t mind spending lots of time and energy on a gift! In a recent flash of brilliance, I decided to make my guy a page-a-day calendar with things I love about him. If you like the concept but need a shortcut, you can also try this for a weekly or monthly calendar. I had to come up with 365 different things to say about him. You can try inside jokes or reminders of great dates if you get stuck. On the stiff front cover, put a picture of the two of you inside a plastic frame. Inside the cover, perhaps write (for example), “One year of things I love about Joey!” Next, I suggest using a computer greeting card program to make the entries (what you love and the date), save and print them, and then go on to the next page. Perhaps decorate the pages with heart stickers or something else relevant to your relationship. The back cover should also be of stiff stock. It a very big job, but Joey says that it’s the best gift he’s EVER gotten!!!
Valentines Day General Gift Ideas:
Remember that the first and most important rule of gift-giving is to give the recipient, whether it is your lover, your daughter, your teacher, or your grandmother, what he or she wants, as opposed to simply what you want to give them. When a gift “backfires,” it is usually because the giver didn’t think about what would really please the recipient. With that in mind, realize that gifts need not entail large sums of money in order to be effective and appreciated. Some people recall that their most memorable Valentines Day presents included non-monetary gifts such as poems, change in the routine schedule as planned by their partner, or even a day off from chores. The best gifts are creative and targeted for the specific needs of the receiver. Be original!
Gifts recommended for women:
Chocolate body paint; message in a bottle; heart-shaped photo puzzle; personalized robes; jeweled barrettes or headbands; flowers; sexy lingerie; balloons; shoes; Belgian or French chocolates; balloon ride; original poetry;picnic breakfast at sunrise; a copy of the latest bestseller and an afternoon planned to let her enjoy reading it peacefully and quietly; specialty gift baskets; romantic music; perfume; ring, bracelet, necklace, or watch; wine; gift certificate to a spa, nail salon, beauty salon, the mall, or a restaurant; kitchen products; new cell phone; offer to take over chores; a home-cooked meal; sore back products; special gifts for her office; tickets to the latest movies; a day planned specifically to leave “Mom” alone to do whatever she wants; collectibles; a voucher to clean the car, do the yard work, or do any long-unfinished chore of her choice; a petal-strewn bedroom with several lit candles properly shielded from anything flammable and mood music of her choice; clothing; something special for the traveler; a weekend planned to look like a spontaneous vacation; special gifts for the home environment; gardening goods; home-baked goodies; books on tape or CD; a long massage with or without scented oil; an evening out with the “girls”; tickets to a comedy club or night at the theater with you; magazine subscription; scrapbook of pictures of the two of you with symbolic reminders of your “in” jokes, good times, etc.
Gifts recommended for men:
Personalized boxer shorts; personalized picture frame; engraved key chain; tickets to the movies or a sporting event; cologne; a watch; video games; car accessories; sore back products; sports caps; belts; home-baked heart-shaped cookies and brownies; satellite dish subscription; wine; balloon bouquets; something special for the traveler; specialty gift baskets; romantic music; new cell phone; balloon ride;special gifts for his office; boating accessories; framed picture of you smiling in some romantic place; leather-bound appointment book; the latest gadgets; clothing; sports memorabilia; books on tape or CD; picnic breakfast at sunrise; gift certificates to the mall or to a restaurant; voucher to do some yard work or wash his car; original poetry; night out with the “boys” or an afternoon golf date; magazine subscription; scrapbook of pictures of the two of you with symbolic reminders of your “in” jokes, good times, etc.
Gifts recommended for children/teenagers:
Personalized red hearts sweatshirt; personalized Valentines Day teddy bears; caramel or chocolate-dippled cookies or applies; trip to the movies and money for the concession stand;; unique and special toys; release from chores; a neatly wrapped bouquet of slice-and-bake sugar cookies with hearts in the middle; specialty popcorn treats; sports memorabilia; romantic music; clothing; small bouquets of flowers; foil-wrapped chocolate hearts hidden around the house or bedroom; trip to an amusement park; original poetry; inexpensive jewelry; cook a heart-themed meal; cool tennis shoes; a small teddy bear holding an “I love you” heart; a planned treasure hunt; gift certificate to the candy store; balloon bouquet (if they’re 5 or older); heart-shaped peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in lunches on 2/14; children’s magazine subscription; Valentine sleepover party.
Gifts recommended for grandparents:
Personalized Valentines Day coffee mugs; personalized picture frames, framed recent picture of the whole family or the grandchildren; necklace, watch, ring or bracelet; computer-designed stationery with computer-printed return address labels packaged with a few pens and pencils and lots of stamps (if you want to be ambitious, ask to borrow their address book and pre-address some envelopes for them as well); specialty popcorn treats; romantic music;clothing; gardening goods; audiobooks; sore back products; gift certificates; kitchen products; a voucher to clean their house or do some yard work; flowers; wine; offer to organize their loose photos into photo albums; special gifts for the home environment; grocery store gift-certificate; jams and jelly sets; Belgian or French chocolates; heated throw blankets for cold climates; a basket of individual serving items to prepare a lunch or dinner; basket of home-baked desserts; collectibles;offer to clean out their linen closet or kitchen; an afternoon spent showing them (patiently!) how to use computers or the Internet; original poetry; a promise to pick them up and take them to the mall or to a movie or to the doctor’s or to lunch; set of individual serving coffees and teas; magazine subscription; books on tape or CD (for the car or home); donation in their name to their favorite charity.
Gifts recommended for teachers:
Personalized Valentines Day coffee mugs, gift certificates to the mall, a restaurant, an individual store, a school supply store, or for a massage and/or a manicure; special gifts for his/her office; voucher for a few hours of volunteer time; romantic music; the auto wash, flowers; specialty gift baskets; sore back products; Belgian or French chocolates; items like an electric pencil-sharpener or favorite items left out of the school budget to make the teacher’s life easier; specialty popcorn treats; videos appropriate for their class; original poetry; magazine subscriptions for home or class;donation to “adopt” their class;.
We have some suggestions here that you probably won’t see elsewhere, but we think they’re definitely worth mentioning…
Charitable contributions: Does your sweetheart have everything? Why not consider a charitable donation FROM THE HEART… either to your local house of worship, medical foundation, youth organization or homeless shelter? In keeping with the Valentine theme, you can donate to an organization for problems of the heart (physical or psychological). Arrange for the charity to send a simple card indicating that a donation was made in the recipient’s honor. This type of gift is sure to warm the heart of someone who appreciates how truly fortunate we are.
Travel: How about a mystery trip? You could blindfold your sweetie and throw them (gently!) in the car for a weekend at a special hideaway. Be sure to pack appropriately (and secretly!) for BOTH of you beforehand. If money is no object, you could go with nothing and buy everything new for the weekend at your destination! Oh la la!
Recurring gifts: If you want your gift to last beyond Valentines Day, how about a magazine subscription on a special interest or hobby of your love’s? They can dream, can’t they? Want to be remembered each and every month until NEXT Valentines Day? Enroll your love in a “________ of the month” club. Think rare fruit, candy, wine, cheese, flowers and other luxury items. What a special gift! That way they’ll NEVER have a chance to forget who loves them!
Gift Certificates: Everyone’s favorite gifts! You simply can’t go wrong with this one. Besides department stores and malls, how about a gift certificate to a restaurant, bookstore, movie theater, or sporting event? You can also try hair and nail salons, spas, and anywhere you think of that “pampers”. Be creative… the possibilities are virtually endless.
Home-cooked or home-baked: One last idea is to simply cook or bake something extraordinary for your Valentine. This is one gift truly made with love. Even if the quiche comes our lopsided or the cookies are a bit hard, your sweetheart will appreciate the time and energy of a gift from the kitchen. For an added touch, dress up your creation in a fancy tin or glass jar highlighted with ribbons and bows.
For a specific idea that one of our readers sent that’s really super, try this recipe from JaNel for homemade fortune cookies filled with your own unique love messages:
2 tablespoons of butter (no substitutes, please)
1/4 cup of confectioner’s sugar
1 large egg white
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
pinch of salt
1/4 cup of flour
14 strips of clean paper with pre-written personalized love fortunes (!)
Melt butter in a sauce pan over low heat. Once butter is melted, remove from heat. Beat in confectioner’s sugar, egg white, vanilla, and salt. Beat in flour until the batter is smooth. Drop two heaping spoonfuls of batter onto a cookie sheet at least four inches apart, and then spread the batter with the back of a spoon until the batter is even and about three inches in diameter. Bake at 375oF for 4 minutes or until golden brown, baking only two cookies at a time. Remove from sheet. Place message in the center and fold the cookie in half. Then quickly fold the cookie over the edge of a deep bowl to create the fortune cookie shape! Makes about 14 cookies… enjoy!
Thanks to our fantastic, creative, sentimental readers for some additional ideas of theirs…
I like to try to find different ways to let my wife know that I love her. A couple of years ago I heard about a great gift. Through the Circus World Museum in Baraboo, WI, I ordered my wife “a dozen long-stemmed, red noses”. They came – red clown noses on faux long rose stems. She loved them and still has them sitting on a table to remind her that her crazy husband still loves her after being married 28 years!
My boyfriend and I live five hours driving distance from each other, so last year we had to celebrate the weekend before the actual holiday, since Valentines Day was on a weekday in 2008. He told me he had all kinds of exams he had to study for on Valentines night, so I didn’t suspect anything. First he sent me a bouquet of gorgeous red roses to my workplace. Me being me, I looked over the roses, but only counted 11. I didn’t really think anything of it, just that my boyfriend would be annoyed that the dozen he sent was cut short by the florist. Later on, after I got home from the office, he called me and asked me if I was ready for my next surprise. Five minutes later he showed up on my doorstep, holding a single red rose…. to round out the dozen. I thought this was the sweetest thing ever, and was so thoughtfully put together. I will always remember it as one of the most romantic things my boyfriend has ever done for me. Not only did I think that was sweet, but I got to spend Valentines night with him, which I originally thought would be impossible.
If your relationship is new, how about sending your honey a bottle of Tabasco or other hot sauce? Tack on a note which says “I think you’re really hot!!!” and put it somewhere sure to make them smile
If you have a great idea of your own or one that someone used on you, please don’t hesitate to e-mail us from the Contact link, above. We really appreciate your input!
The gift I would most like to receive would be a wonderful moonlit walk on the beach. There would be candles and a picnic dinner. There would also be soft music playing in the background. We would walk along the shoreline without socks or shoes and tell each other beautiful things. It would be the most simple, special and romantic event ever.
Just say “I Love You” everyday–it’s simple, free, and genuine, and that beats out any material gift any day of the year!
Try the 12 days of Valentines: for each day for 11 days before Valentines Day, give your valentine a small gift having to do with the number of the day it is, for example: 1 rose, 2 earrings…. up to 12 doughnuts! with an original list of all the reasons why you like them. This will definitely lift the self-esteem of the person you give it to!!!!
My boyfriend is an incredibly creative person, which makes up for his frugality. For Valentines last year, he put up signs all the way to school that had special messages on them. The first sign was right at the end of my street, and it said “Good morning.” The next sign had a huge heart painted on it, and there were several others put up as I drove to school. At the end he met me there with a sign that had a rose and “I love you” painted on it. That night he made dinner for me. He is so very thoughtful, and this was one of the most wonderful gifts I’ve ever received. This is just one occasion of his thoughtful gifts. I’ve also come out of school with balloons, streamers, and confetti covering the outside and inside of my car, once again with him waiting for me on my birthday. Then when he came home from four months of working several hours away, he had my roommates decorate my room while we were at church. We walked into my dorm room after church, and there were a dozen pink roses in my chair, a dozen white roses on my bed, red rose petals strewn all over the room, and candles lit all over including a small path to my bed. It was amazing! I thank God for him!
My husband often works out of town and one year he wasn’t home for Valentines day, but was home the next day. I contacted the owner of a local restaraunt and had her reserve the entire dining room for me (it was a weeknight and business wouldn’t have been as busy as a weekend). I pre-ordered everything from our drinks to the meals to a shared dessert. I had balloons and candies at the table when we got there. We were halfway through our entree before he realized that we hadn’t ordered anything, yet all of his favourites were being delivered. We had a long, leisurely supper. He still says that was the best night ever!
A great way to show you care is to make some homemade cookies, and use different sized heart-shaped cookie cutters. When the cookies are cooled, ice them and decorate them the way the heart-shaped candies with two-word phrases are done… wrap them in a big, open box and cover the box with plastic wrap. It’s simple, but it’s very sweet.
Here’s a cute and simple idea: make a Valentines sign or photo collage and write/paste the words “I kiss the ground you walk on” somewhere on it. Here’s the harder part: sneak over to your loved one’s house while they’re at work or school, obtain access (!), and place the sign near their bed. Put little gifts ON the bed. Take a bag of Hershey’s Kisses and scatter them everywhere on the floor around where the sign is. Get it? I “kiss” the ground you walk on….!
The best gift that could ever be given is a single rose (about $3) and a poem written all by himself, on paper ($0!), tied around the stem and given to me in the morning after we wake up. He would then read it to me and seal it with a kiss. This is a very simple gift, but it is also for very simple people. My fiancé and I are very simple people and easy to please. To me, this is greatest gift ever, and it only costs $3.00!!
This gift could be suitable for men or women and it is very inexpensive. My husband made a copy of his hand on the copy machine and wrote on it “Put your hand in mine”, and faxed it to me at the office. It just melted my heart. Good for any time, but especially on a down day.
Here’s a great idea for anyone in a dorm, or possibly anywhere else! Go to a store where you can make your own paper products (like cards, frames, etc.). Buy a stack of 50 blank cards, stickey-backed if appropriate, and a stamp which says “I Love”. On the front of each card, stamp the words “I Love” and on EACH card, write something different and personal which are the things you love about that person. Examples: “I love your smile”, “I love your sense of humor”, even “I love YOU!”. Sneak into their dorm and plaster their door with the cards the night before Valentines Day. When they wake up in the morning, everyone will know how much they are loved!!!
Sure, poems and roses are from the heart, but the best gift I gave to my wife, Tara, wasn’t these but a video of memories. You can easily rent a Camcorder and buy a tape for under $50. I did that and gave my wife a lasting account of the place where we fell in love, Cheyenne. There was nothing more appropriate to give her than images from those moments in time: where we first met, had our first date, had our first fight, talked all through the night, worked all those long hours, and finally got married.
A great gift my boyfriend actually bought for me is a giant stuffed monkey. This monkey is about two and a half feet tall with lots of fur and a fuzzy belly and face. He is a great, affordable gift (my boyfriend got him for $15 at Wal-Mart) because he is great to cuddle with and makes a great pillow! Wonderful for all ages!
I would take a large terra cotta flower pot and fill it with all the fixins for a special Italian Dinner: Line it with red and white checked napkins, fill with spaghetti, crusty Italian bread, homemade garlic butter and a bottle of wine (or nonalcoholic beverage). Add a jar of marinara sauce, and you have the recipe for LOVE. Don’t forget to put in a couple of romantic note cards to read to your loved one during dinner!
My boyfriend came up with a great idea: he made me a poster-size collage of flowers cut out from different magazines. The center had red flowers arranged in a heart shape with the other colored flowers all around the outside. He then framed it in an inexpensive plastic frame. He has also made me many paper mache cats for my apartment, which he calls my “watch cats”. He’s so thoughtful!!!
Last year I put together a love story of me and my husband. The first page was a love letter telling why I fell in love with my husband. Then I scraped together photos with subtitles of us from our first date to our many vacations, to our engagement party, then our wedding day and honeymoon (of course!), and I even dedicated special pages for our family. The last page was another love letter to him, telling him how happy he has made me and how thankful I am to have him in my life. Now this took about 20 hours to cut and paste and reminisce about each photo to get the proper subtitles, but I certainly think that it did make me fall in love all over again! This book is now a part of our coffee table for our family and friend to glance at, and even when we each have our rainy days, I see each of us pick it up to bring smiles back to our hearts. I feel that the main point is that it does not have to take a lot of money to give a gift, the ones that count are the ones that last a lifetime either in our hearts or just as a subtle memory. As for ours, we still keep it on our coffee table!
Some low-cost decorations for a bedroom you share with your love: decorate with black and red streamers, cardboard cupids, discarded red rose petals, and heart-shaped napkins; use red lipstick to say ‘I love you’ on your mirror or send a message in glow-in-the-dark chalk on the wall and add a black light for added effect! Add a huge red bow to the bedroom door to hint at what’s inside!
The greatest gift for Valentines Day would be a picnic dinner on the carpet next to a roaring fire, with soft music playing in the background and candles lit all over the room. After dinner we would go dance beneath the stars (or in the rain). At the end of the night, he would tell me that he loved me.
Instead of regular REAL roses, how about trying your hand at a single, beautiful Origami rose? Origami is the Japanese art of paper-folding, and this crafty present would certainly show him or her how much you wanted to give a unique gift. Try your local library for more information on how to create Origami projects!
A great gift to give any girl on Valentines Day is a rose. The only problem is that the roses never last! My idea for a great gift is to give someone a dozen roses; 11 real roses and one that would be silk. And a great note to go with it is: “When the last rose dies is when I will stop loving you!” I know that if a guy ever did that for me, I would just die! It would be so sweet. That is my idea of a great gift!
The best gift a guy could give me would be cold ice-cream in front of the fireplace, with the fire burning bright. The lights would be turned down low and the radio would be playing a soft love song. I want him to make me feel like I’m the only woman in the world!! Then just a single “I LOVE YOU” would be fine for me.
This Valentines Day I would like for my boyfriend or another loved one to either sing for me or get a group of people who do serenades to come to my window at night and sing for me, preferably in Spanish! It doesn’t matter who sings, as long as I know that the gift came from someone that I love! It is not too expensive, especially when you do it yourself, if you have the talent. I think that if someone would sing to me, that would be all I need to make this Valentines Day a memorable one.
Ladies: try this one for your guy… buy a good quality cotton pair of boxers, and some permanent (fabric-safe) sparkly pens (red, silver, gold). On the boxers, write all the best things you love about your guy inside red hearts… for example, his sensitivity, his smell, his sense of humor, his smile… and then enclose a card and tell him that from now on, these are his “good luck” boxers! The time and cost on this one are negligible, but the result is a great homemade gift which is specially tailored just for your particular guy.
My sweetheart did the most memorable thing for me on Valentines Day. He took me to a secluded roadway off the highway. He brought with him a bottle of wine and a blanket. As we walked onto the road, we were met by a huge sleigh with two beautiful horses. The sleigh ride went up into the mountains, and at the top, there was a sweet little cabin. Inside were hundreds of rose petals, along with a roaring fire and my favorite meal. We shared a picnic dinner, drank wine, and cuddled while toasting by the fire. He made the night perfect by saying “I love you”. I will always remember that!
I was given an empty red box with a little poem inside which read: I bet you think this box is empty, but it’s not…. it’s full of love. It’s a very small box because there isn’t one large enough to hold all the love I have to give. The wonderful thing is, I didn’t buy this love, I was born with it and I can give it to anyone I want. I hope you enjoy and treasure my love because it never runs out and I have more to give. I love you always, Valentine!