By Deanne Revel
Candy companies may have created Valentine’s Day, but Valentines are getting pretty creative with their gifting. This is not to say that all Valentine’s Day gifts are successful. Most non-conventional gifts end in disaster.
If you find yourself struggling for gift ideas this holiday, go back to traditional gifts: candy, roses and stuffed animals.
But if I get my baby chocolate, won’t she think I’m fattening her up?
Listen to dietitians on this one. Chocolate is OK in small portions. Don’t buy an anatomically correct one-pound-human-heart. That’s too much love.
Are roses cliché?
I have a friend who says roses show how lazy a guy is, whereas, I consider roses the international symbol for, “I cheated on you.” Roses are not cliché, but the number of roses can be. Don’t buy a rose for every time you think of your Valentine—you won’t be creating the movie magic you think you are. You’ll just be saying you’re clingy. Stick with a traditional dozen roses—long-stemmed if you’ve already established a mutual mushy-understanding of romance with your Valentine.
The best Valentine’s gift I have received was one long stemmed rose welded from copper. Sure, flowers may be an ancient symbol for a woman’s “itsy-bitsy” (as my Brazilian friend calls them), and some women are irritated by that, but I thought it was beautiful. When I look at it, I see great craftsmanship—not my “itsy-bitsy.”
I’m looking out on the vast and scary market that is stuffed animals. What now?
Build-A-Bear is the gold standard for stuffed animals. Be careful of genus and species. Domesticated stuffed animals, like dogs and cats, can seem boring, but too wild an animal, like Loveable Lobster with removable backpack shell just seems thoughtless. Thoughtless on Valentine’s Day means heartless.
Stay away from Hannah Montana Bear and High School Musical Bear. This is Valentine’s Day, not April Fools’ Day. You do love your Valentine, right?
The make or break factor of Build-A-Bear gifting is the air bath. Unless you want Ghetto Disheveled Bear, remember to commit to this silly pseudo-hygienic activity completely.
We’re all adults here. What gives?
If you and your Valentine have been referred to as an “old couple,” I’d recommend perfume or cologne. This doesn’t say, “I think you smell.” It says, “I’ve noticed your own fragrance so much and adore it that I can now make educated decisions on other scents I know you’ll like!”
Isn’t that what gifting is about? Giving someone something you hope they’ll like.
When in doubt, stay traditional. When in doubt while staying traditional, have common sense. The SCAD community is a wonderful, warm and welcoming place to express creativity, but, please, don’t buy chastity belt lingerie with built-in GPS.