ALT-1 Last Minute Valentines Day Ideas
Eleventh-hour shopping for Valentine’s Day does not have to be the eye-bulging panic that sends you sifting through the dregs at local shops. Last-minute gifts are more about your creativity and less about the near heart attack that can come from not having a gift.
The typical fare – heart-shaped desserts from the grocer or bakery, local gift cards, trinkets from street vendors, teddy bears, candy, chain greeting cards, roses grabbed on the way home from the convenience store – is still possible at the last minute, but you will still be picking through the leftovers. Better late than nothing, right?
To redeem yourself and show that you can still be thoughtful, here are some ideas to help ease the terror of being empty-handed:
Something Handmade
Perhaps you are notPicassoorBearden. A missing artistic talent does not remove you from making something with your own hands. Cards that have special meaning to you both, real love letters on special stationery in your own handwriting, or that home cooked meal (even if you burn it) are appreciated for the sheer amount of love required to make them.
If you want to give music consider gift cards toiTunes,RhapsodyorPandora, which allows you to create “stations” that compile songs by similar artists. To make the music experience even more personal make a mix tape CD of all your love’s personal favorites of all of your love songs as a couple.
There are handmade gifts that don’t have to be made by your hands, too.Etsyhas thousands of merchant storefronts with unique gifts made by creatives living all over the world. You will have to negotiate a quick shipping time with this one, though.Artfirealso has some beautiful handmade items.
e-Purchases
Flowers, balloons, seeds for the garden, specialty chocolates, clothing and romantic getaways can all be scooped up online at the last minute. Amazon,Red Envelope,Elizabeth Arden Red Door Spas(which you should take as a package for two) andOverstock.comare shops that give you a variety of gifts to choose from. Amazon will suggest gifts to you based on your surfing patterns.Give AnythingorGiftCertificates.comgive you a ton of other choices for e-gifts.
Preformatted Valentine’s Day love coupons can be printed from online as well.Romance Stuckallows you to personalize gift coupons for just about any deed, service or gift imaginable – dinners, massages, bubble baths, dancing or hugs. You tailor the book of coupons based on your Valentine’s likes. The last coupon in the book is blank and you can fill it with any gift idea that you want. Unveil your coupon book as a surprised tossed into your lover’s briefcase, or individually tucked away all around the house as treasure hunt finds, or inside a book your partner is already reading.
Last-minute Dinner Reservations
It may not be too late to head to a dinner in your city. To see what local reservations are still available, visitOpen Tableand enter your location. If you would rather stay in and not cook, go toDelivery.comand see which local restaurants deliver food to you.
Photos
Pictures always still say a thousand words, and what better way to capture all the photos of the two of you together than a digital photo frame. If you want to give the traditional photo frame, make the gift beneath the glass a coupon for a couple’s portrait at a local photo studio. Or try a couple’s photo collage in a large frame.
Personalized Items
Many people still like to see their names on gifts.Personalization Mallhas a wide range of gifts that can be personalized for your loved one. Choose from picture frames, coffee mugs, water bottles, or his-and-her aprons or heart-shaped polished stones etched with your names or your favorite saying. Red Envelope has “Reasons I Love You” stones made of brushed nickel and delivered in a red velvet pouch.
For about $50, you can make you and your sweetheart the stars in a romance novel. Simply surf toYour Noveland fill in 26 details about the two of you and order your book for a fantasy adventure in which you have the leading role.
If you want your Valentine’s Day to focus on a single memory – like the day of the proposal, for example – head toYour Memory Laneand create and art print of the major milestones you have experienced as a couple. A staff of artists takes your details and transforms them into a piece of art that is framed and museum quality.
Board Games
There is hardly a single family across the country that hasn’t at some time enjoyed the pleasures of board games. Stop at your local toy store or Walmart and look for Twister or Scrabble if you don’t already have an edition in your house. Getting tangled up in Twister with your sweetheart is a great stress reliever and lets you stay close.
Poetry
Both the masters and contemporary poets have understood the meaningful ways that poetry can impact your life. Pablo Neruda, Rainier Maria Rilke and Elizabeth Barrett Browning translated the language(s) of love as beautifully asJericho Brown,Rita Dove, andBilly Collins. Find a poetry volume that speaks to you and share it with your significant other. If you feel you have the chops, write a poem of your own.
