Stephanie’s Adventures in Singledom: Valentine’s Day Do’s or Don’ts

BY STEPHANIE DOLCE

I know what you’re thinking: Valentine’s Day is a commercial holiday. It’s forced. It’s too much pressure, and you know what? You are right!

But choosing the right gift can be quite a challenge: Too many exhausted boyfriends and husbands reach into the Valentine’s void for gift ideas and come up with something that’s just plain wrong.

No need to worry, fellows, I’m here to help you avoid the five gifts your girlfriend or wife DOES NOT want and to lead you down the correct path, so you don’t screw up BIG time!

Number 5 Worst Gift: Fake or half dead flowers

Yes, flowers are super expensive for Valentine’s Day, I get that. But, we’d rather get no flowers than fake flowers. And then of course there are guys who bought the last bouquet of flowers from a supermarket and they are half-dead when you take them home. Again, if you aren’t going to get real and alive flowers, don’t bother.

Number 4 Worst Gift: A gift card

WAY too impersonal. Not only does it show that you didn’t put ANY thought into what to get, it shows that you frankly don’t care. It’s not her birthday or even Christmas, it’s Valentine’s Day- the day that you are supposed to show the love of your life how much you appreciate her. Getting her a gift card to anywhere is like saying, ‘Happy Valentine’s Day, honey — I got you a price tag!’”

Number 3 Worst Gift: Sugar-free or reduced-calorie candy

Nothing says, “I love you but you need to watch your waistline,” by skipping the Valentine’s chocolate isle that each store has and heading straight to the candy isle in the grocery store. Instead, find out what candy your sweetheart likes and ONLY get that. If she doesn’t like the assorted box, save your money and get her the box that she likes.

Number 2 Worst Gift: (This is for the married men or those living together) Anything that could be considered a small appliance, including video game equipment.

Being too practical is a real romance killer. Again, this is supposed to be the “most romantic day” of the year, and you kill it by buying her a new coffee maker, microwave, cooking pots/pans, baking equipment, etc. No matter how much she loves to cook, bake, or how badly she wants a new coffee maker, don’t go anywhere near those isles! Instead, why don’t you make her breakfast in bed or simply order food in from her favorite restaurant for a romantic evening. (with candles & music)

Number 1 Worst Gift: (this is for the boyfriends who have been dating her more than 6 months) Jewelry in a ring-sized box

Women know there are five key probable proposal days (Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s, Valentine’s, and her birthday), so giving her false hope on one of them is just plain cruel. If you are going to get her jewelry, make sure it is NOT in a ring-sized box. Take them out of the box, get tissue paper, wrap them in it, and place the jewelry in a gift bag.

Bloopers:

The runner up to the number 1 worst gift is simply, racy lingerie.

Lingerie is just expensive wrapping paper. And chances are you aren’t going to get her something that SHE would like, you are getting her something that YOU want to see her in. Why waste your money on that, when ten seconds after she puts it on, you are planning on taking it off? If you want to buy her something from Victoria’s Secret, the best thing to do is look and see what she likes to wear, and get her a pair or two of her favorite panties.

The biggest mistake someone can make when it comes to Valentine’s Day is not acknowledging the holiday or brushing it off, especially for those who just started dating and for the married couples. Just because you got her to marry you doesn’t mean that you forget about her and forget about romance. And if you just started dating, instead of adding pressure to yourself on this day, simply just go out to where you went on your first date and re-kindle the romance you started. By doing this it says, “I’m really into you,” and it also shows that you put a little thought into what has turned out to be one of the most made up days of the year. Because frankly, we should be showing our partners that we love them, 365 days of the year, not just when the calendar says, February 14th.