Valentine's Day

The pressure is on to make Valentine’s Day the best it can ever be! Marketing screams “bigger is better”—the bigger the gift, the more you love your Valentine. Or they say that flowers or candy or perfume is a must. And of course, a loving Valentine’s gift isn’t complete without a fancy card.

Is all this true? What is Valentine’s Day about anyway?

Valentine's Day is named after St. Valentine, and it's a time for acknowledging the treasure you have in the certain someone in a meaningful and special way. And, frankly, the marketers don’t have it right.

A meaningful gift may mean that a guy who doesn’t do much cooking stretches himself to make a special dinner or host his sweetheart for a candlelit picnic in your living room. Or it may mean he signs both of you up for ballroom dance classes, even though he doesn’t really like to dance—but she does.

It may be a handwritten love letter to your fiancé that describes all the wonderful traits you see in him or her, or it may even be sports tickets to see his favorite team. Whatever it is, a meaningful gift is something the other person would truly treasure, be it big or small. So tune out the marketing folks and search for that special thing to give your perfect Valentine.