When I was growing up, my mom used to give us all gifts on Valentine’s Day. Pyjamas and chocolates were popular choices for her. It was always an awkward moment because the words to say how we truly felt usually escaped us and in moments like these it was evident that all parties wanted to say something appreciative but didn’t know how to go about doing so.
It is for reasons like this that I don’t associate/equate gifts as automatically equally meaningful gestures and Valentine’s Day as only a day for romantic partners. I love the idea of people letting me know how much they appreciate and love me. I love the idea of putting pride aside and letting love do its thing. Perhaps it is because I have always longed for this in all of my relationships.
With our unlimited access to so many examples of what expressions of love should look like on Valentine’s Day, compliments of social media, it is natural for anyone to get a little carried away. It is natural for us to cook up stories in our mind about what we think we might need based on what we see. To each his own. However, if you are planning something with the sheer desire to tug at someone’s heartstrings, I think these would be ideal.
Edible gifts and flowers
These are probably among the most common Valentine’s Day gestures. While they could be nice and grand dependent on your arrangement size, they truly don’t stand out in my opinion. To spruce them up I would add a handwritten card and not just the tiny ones they attach to the bouquet but an actual greeting card. One doesn’t have to be a writer to express how one feels. Just write exactly what you would say. Up until her death my Godmother kept the cards I made for her as a child, in her Bible. When the chocolates disappear and the flowers wither, this will be a lasting memory for the receiver.
Love bombing
This is the concept of overly compensating materially so that the person knows how much you care. While to each his own, this type of behaviour always made me feel as if people can gift their way out of expressing themselves or worse using it as a manipulative tool. Try your best to stay away from overly expensive gifts and if you insist on breaking the bank make sure your gift is relatable to the actual person and not just another trending hot purchase of the season.
However you choose to express your love, make sure at its core it is centred around the person’s interests and feelings, if not, in the long run it will most definitely have no emotional impact for the person to truly reflect on and be inspired by.
