The Thought is More Important Then Money

The Thought is More Important Than the Money
This is not the occasion for a new drill or lawnmower or a vacuum or toaster! Valentine's Day gifts should be an expression of your love and affection. If you're stumped for ideas for gifts for Valentine's Day, you might get some inspiration here.

There's a good reason that Valentine's cards are covered with flowers and hearts and verses of love and passion. This is a special day to express heartfelt emotion and gratitude for companionship, friendship, and love.

If you want to give a wonderful and memorable Valentine gift, browse down through some of our ideas. Some of our suggestions cost little to nothing, while others are expensive. Whatever your desire or budget, you'll find interesting suggestions for gifts that will be remembered for years to come.

* Plan a Getaway
This will take a bit of planning ahead, but spending time together is what Valentine's Day is all about.

# How about a romantic overnight or weekend at a Bed & Breakfast? You don't need to go far away, but just being out of the house will feel special. If you have children, ask a friend or family member to help out. Or to really splurge, plan a weekend cruise. Once you have your reservations, get a brochure and put it into your Valentine card. Present the card and contents with a bottle of bubbly a few days ahead of time. Then get ready for hugs and thanks!

If you really can't take time away, make the day special with a "getaway" to an evening in front of the fireplace with romantic music or video and a cozy blanket. Or plan a "couple's" massage at a day spa. Or just plan a few hours touring your town, with a romantic lunch or afternoon tea.

# Valentine's Day Minus One
Make plans to have flowers, chocolates, a romantic card or a gift sent to your sweetheart at work the day before the holiday. Everyone will be curious! Be sure to add a note telling how much you're looking forward to tomorrow!

# Create a Card
Even if you don't feel very creative, you must admit that you could cut out a heart from a pretty piece of colored paper. Glue several layers together, one on top of the other. Add bits of ribbon, cutout flowers, pieces of lace or a doily, and add your own personal sentiment. You're sure to find it in a memory box years from now!

# Give a Gift That's Personal
To really make the day special, and one to remember, give a gift personalized for the recipient. You could do monogrammed stationery, an embroidered pillow, or monogrammed bed linens. Read our article on Personalized Gift Giving for more ideas.

# Take a Trip Down Memory Lane
Gather together all the things that you can find from your special times together, such as theater tickets, a memento of your first "date" movie, photos of your honeymoon or a special occasion, the dried corsage or program from your prom, and of course, any love letters that you might have sent to one another. Present them in a pretty box and enjoy looking at them and reminise about past times. Be sure to continue to add to the box this year!

# Look at Photographs
Take some time to go through your boxes or drawers of photos and get them in order. Buy a collection of 10 or 12 acid-free albums and sort your photos by year. Each January, put the last year's photos into an album and look at them as a special Valentine's Day activity. Remember to take pictures of this Valentine's Day for the next album.

# Don't Forget the Flowers
Florists are super busy at Valentine's Day, and you'll pay a premium for their professional services. You might make your own arrangement. Add stalks of branch to the arrangement and add a special gift--anything small tied onto the branch with a slim ribbon. How about tickets to a concert or play, a tissue-wrapped piece of jewelry, or a tiny vial of cologne? Make the ribbons long enough so the little gifts rest comfortably on the table, or if they're light enough, they can hang freely.

# Toast Your Sweetheart
A bottle of champagne or sparkling juice will be the only expense here.What's really important are the words you use. If you're nervous about making a "formal" presentation, write your sentiments in gold or silver ink on a beautiful card and read it.

* Precious Gifts
Do you know anyone who doesn't love jewelry? Gold, silver, and precious gems are gifts that last a lifetime. Silver heart cuff links, a silver heart drop from a chain, ruby earrings, or gold heart charms for a bracelet are just a few ideas.

* Heart-Shaped Boxes
Place your gift in a fancy heart-shaped box. Add glitter, pink or red tissue paper, and a sheer ribbon bow. If you don't have a heart-shaped box, at least wrap the box you do have in heart embellished paper and sparkles.

* Frothy Fabric
A square of sheer netting or chiffon looks dreamy over the table. You can also wrap a special gift in a pretty fabric, tied with a beautiful bow. Or tie sheer fabric bows on the chandelier, drape it over a lampshade, or tie it over your dining chairs. The sheer, floating fabric will look very romantic.

Get more Valentine ideas with this fun list of Netlinks on romance.