Valentine’s Day is the second most important gift giving day of the year, and with men spending roughly double what the girls do, which (of course) is only right and proper……..Valentine’s Day gifts need a bit more thinking about then you may want to, coming straight after the Christmas gift giving splurge. And if you want to really show you care just a card won’t do…….and nothing at all simply won’t do either. Neither will these……
For some gorgeous Valentine’s Day gift ideas see below.
Six Gifts You Should Never Give on Valentine’s Day
1. Anything last minute - a mug with a heart on it, a cheap box of chocolates, random flowers. Forget about it. You’ll do more harm than good.
2. A gym membership. Smacks of ‘hint hint’. She’ll think ‘what is he trying to say here’, and she’ll probably be right.
3. Lingerie in the wrong size, or even worse, shapewear. No. Non. Nein. Absolutely not.
4. Anything for the kitchen. Don’t go there. Valentine’s Day is about romance and caring - a new vacuum cleaner or blender has nothing to do with romance.
5. A Gift Voucher. This one doesn’t work at Valentine’s Day. She needs to know you’ve thought about it, and then gone out (or clicked) and done something about it.
6. Nothing. Oh dear. You didn’t have time, were away, had too much work, - no. You simply forgot or couldn’t be bothered. Don’t do it.
Ignore the marketing hype for Valentine’s Day tat and consider some of these below. Time honoured gifts that, providing they’re chosen with taste, won’t ever let you down.
Flowers, and particularly red roses, are the No 1 traditional Valentine’s Day gift, ignore those who try and sell you the chocs and teddy to go with and buy beautiful quality and beautifully presented flowers. Inevitably there’s a wide range of prices, and if you want to go straight to the top consider the exceptional flowers at The Real Flower Company, and also Jane Packer, famous for ‘designer’ flower bouquets. You’ll find more places for Valentine’s Day Flowers here.
Chocolates are another favourite for Valentine’s Day, although make sure the person you’re giving them to eats them - they’re not for you after all. Look for something luxurious, not just a box of chocolate truffles thank you very much (although if they’re luxurious enough they’ll do if you’ve left it a bit late) and visit chocolatiers such as Melt Chocolates and Amelie Chocolat for something just that little bit different.
Jewellery - I’m not going to go into the diamond engagement ring discussion - an enormous amount is spent on diamonds at Valentine’s Day (and other stones of course) and hopefully if you’re going to pop the question you’ll already have put a lot of thought into ‘the ring’. However jewellery gifts are also extremely popular on Valentine’s Day. For a choice of beautiful, handmade jewellery made from ethically sourced gold and silver have a browse at Lilia Nash Jewellery, alternatively there’s a very pretty selection of jewellery at Astley Clarke.
Fragrance - If you want to give something fragrant do some research so that you know the type of fragrance she likes - ie floral, fruity, oriental etc, and then translate that into something gorgeous and different. My advice is to not go for one of the well known brands you can pick up just anywhere, but take a look at Ancienne Ambiance’s collection of beautiful and sensual hand poured candles, Timothy Dunn’s Blue Rose Scented Candle which you’ll find at Liberty, or one of Miller Harris’s beautifully packaged gift sets.
Lingerie - This of course is a tricky one. There is no fine line between sexy and seductive and beautiful and luxurious, and make sure you get it right or you could be in trouble. Beautiful and luxurious is for everyone. You’ll have fun choosing sexy and seductive but will she appreciate your taste? Be certain on this one. Good places to browse are Myla, and Selfridges (where you’ll also find Myla and Agent Provocateur). If you’re tempted to go down the lingerie route better get the size right…….
The trick, of course, is to think ahead. We all tend to do things at the last minute. But on this one it’s not worth it. Take a little time in advance, book the table, organise the flowers, buy the gift and show you really care. It’ll be worth it.
