Five Fabulous, Free, Highly Personal Valentine's Day or Birthday Gifts for Your Lover

Do you puzzle over what to give your husband, wife or lover for Valentine's Day, or his or her birthday, every year? Trying to think of something original? You've given champagne in the past. And chocolates, flowers, aftershave, perfume.

Birthday gifts and Valentine's Day gifts can be very expensive. A lot of gifts produced specially for Valentine's Day are tacky. And none of them are really personal.

But why buy anything? Your lover's birthday or Valentine's Day needn't be expensive and needn't be a chore. In fact, your birthday or Valentine's Day gift can be completely free and lots of fun - for both of you. Adapt these gift ideas with some love and imagination and you'll give your lover a really personal birthday or Valentine's Day gift. It's much more creative, much more fun and there's no need to break the bank.

For the first free gift option, take a piece of card and make a 'voucher'. Write Your Birthday Present or Your Valentine's Day Gift and note that it's good for 3 months. Your lover then chooses a Sunday when you're both going to be free all day and you invite him or her to spend a birthday or Valentine's Day in bed. (OK, it may not be the actual day but you need to find a day that suits.) It's a birthday or Valentine's Day in bed with you of course. You prepare the day carefully. Get the bedroom really clean and luxuriously comfortable. Or, if you have an open fire, make a bed up where you can lie and watch the flames. You then spend a whole chilly day cuddling up under the duvet together, watching logs burn, chatting, reading and making love. You eat delicious, very simple food - preferably of a highly aphrodisiac nature - oysters, maybe, or figs or chocolate - and with lashings of sexy red wine. You serve it with lots of love and a homemade birthday cake or with birthday candles. For the Valentine's Day option, serve the food with a single red rose. You may also listen to music, watch films, plan your next vacation together. Who knows - you might even decide the time is right to make a baby...

For the second free gift option, annouce that, as a birthday or Valentine's Day present, you're going to be his or her slave for a day. And no, it's not like a normal day where you run around after your partner. Agree on a day that suits you both and then - do evverrrything he or she wants. Point out, if you must, that s/he needs to stay within reason and the law! If he says: "We're both going to the match", you go. Cheerfully. If she says: "Cook me something with chilli in it" (aphrodisiac, aphrodisiac), you do. Willingly. And of course your partner may demand far more personal Valentine or birthday treats. Slave-for-a-day can be huge-ly sexy. Imagine it. It's always possible of course that your partner will get a bit silly with this gift: "Strip off and wash the car please. Where the neighbours can see you!" may be kind of impractical. But demands like that won't last long. Not once he - or she - realizes how much more fun you can both have with this birthday or Valentine's gift.

The third free gift option is to write an IOU: "IOU one hour of full body massage." Everyone has massage oil in the house, right? No? Well, at least you have almond oil or some other nut oil? Warm it up. Make the bedroom into a warm haven of sensuality. Keep the lights low. (Light those red candles your sister gave you at Christmas or Easter.) Then warm two large clean towels. Lay one on the bed and lie your lover down gently, on his or her stomach, and start the massage. Work slowly and gently, but firmly, from the neck, back and shoulders down to the legs and feet. Use pressure on the feet rather than stroking them - you want to invoke euphoria, not hysterical fits of laughter. Massage your lover's head gently next, just like hairdressers do for you these days. Head massage is highly relaxing and causes a very pleasant drowsy feeling, half-sleeping, half-waking. Then whisper 'Turn over' and massage the shoulders and chest lightly. Then use circular movements, clockwise, to very gently massage the stomach. And move on to the legs and feet. To finish, give a light facial massage. Your sweetheart will be dozing at this point, eyes closed, totally relaxed. Finally, press down gently for a few moments on his or her chest and put the second heated towel along the length of his or her body. Then allow several minutes of deep relaxation - after which you're likely receive a pretty warm thankyou for this very personal but free birthday or Valentines present.

Fourth free gift: Offer to carry out a practical task your partner would really like you to take care of. This birthday or Valentines gift is particularly suitable for a practical man. No hearts and flowers here, but a thoughtful gesture. Maybe he loves the car to be really clean but hates cleaning it. Or would really love you to deal with that huge tower of paperwork he's been avoiding. Then whatever he chooses as his birthday or Valentines do-it-for-me task, you go ahead and do it with a big smile and plenty of love. Later of course, he shows how much he appreciates the gift.

Fifth free gift: Invite him or her to a Birthday or Valentine's Day Card game. These are not your average birthday or Valentines Day cards. For this gift you need to take an old deck of cards and fish out the Jack, Queen and King. You explain that each card represents a sexual favour you will perform. You assign an act to each 'birthday' or 'Valentines Day' card and hand them over. Your lover then has exactly one week to play his, or her, cards right!

So scrap the aftershave or the eau-de-cologne. Put the cash and credit cards away. You can give your lover a highly personal free birthday or Valentine's Day present this year and both of you will have far more fun.

If you both think the ideas work for birthdays and Valentine's Day , you may even play around with them and use them at Christmas and Easter too.