ALT-1 Gift Ideas for Valentines Day 2012
Valentine's Daystarted out as a Christian religious holiday but it is now celebrated in many corners of the world in a romantically secular manner. School children exchange cards. Lovers exchange gifts and/or share a romantic meal (or other activity). In the western world, suitors or husbands bestow chocolates upon their beloveds, butin Japan, women buy chocolatesfor their male bosses, significant others and any other male friends, while the men have no chocolate-related obligations whatsoever on that day (they may return the favor a month later, less casually, on White Day).
While chocolate is the most traditional gift (and the engagement/wedding/anniversary ring perhaps the most coveted), there are plenty of other ways to show your honey you love him or her on February 14. Here are but a few:
1. You're living and loving in the computer age;make your beloved a tribute web page! If you write HTML, you know what to do. If you don't, there are plenty of hosts, cheap or even free, that will let you create the page WYSIWIG (what you see is what you get) or (not as good) by having you choose a background, fill in some blanks, and press a button. Select your host carefully; some place ads on your page, and some even inundate your visitors with pop-ups, including the kind that demand to know if you really want to leave the page when you try to escape. Some things you can include on the page: pictures of his/her family, pet(s) (and self... and you); love messages; links to his/her favorite sites; quizzes on topics of interest to him/her.
2. Take your honey on a cruise... or a bus ride, if no body of water is available. Not all cruises cost an arm and a leg. If you're taking him/her to the Bahamas, then yes, expect to spend a bundle, but if you live near a river or lake, there is probably a two-hour ride, perhaps with cocktails or a meal, that costs a modest amount. If you're landlocked lovers, how about aguided tour of your cityor the nearest facsimile thereof? Take the tour like a couple of strangers and neck (discreetly) in the back seat! The driver won't mind; s/he knows it's V-Day too.
3. Sexy duds are always fun, but how about something more utilitarian? Get him/her an apron... then surprise him/her with a barbecue! What in the world could those jeans be for? Ah, you've scheduled atrail ridefor two at a local stable. You can take it from here; use your imagination.
4. Planning a quiet evening at home? Don't make him/her cook on that special day (although if cooking is his/her thing, a cooking class for two is not a bad gift idea). Order take-out or delivery. Pizza and Chinese food are the most common types that can be delivered; take-out usually offers more options. Alternatively, you can prepare a picnic basket and spread a blanket on the floor.
5. Breakfast in bed. Everyone loves to be pampered and V-Day is a great excuse to do some serious pampering! Don't forget to fold some napkins.
If your honey prefers actual merchandise to any of the above, you can always fall back on a box of chocolate and a diamond or two.
