By The Times-Ledger
Wondering what to give your sweetheart on the special day? Want to be a little different? Here are some ideas from valentines.com (printed with permission):
For women
Tickets to the movies; perfume; flowers; sexy lingerie; original poetry; balloon ride; picnic breakfast at sunrise; gift certificate to a spa, nail salon, beauty salon, the mall, or a restaurant; offer to take over chores; a day planned specifically to leave Mom alone to do whatever she wants; a voucher to clean the car, do the yard work, or do any long-unfinished chore of her choice; a petal-strewn bedroom and mood music of her choice; a home-cooked meal; a weekend planned to look like a spontaneous vacation; a copy of the latest best-seller and an afternoon planned to let her enjoy reading it peacefully and quietly; home-baked goodies; a long massage with or without scented oil; an evening out “with the girls;” tickets to a comedy club or night at the theater with you; scrapbook of pictures with the two of you.
For men
Tickets to the movies or a sporting event; cologne; video games; car accessories; sports caps; belts; CDs; home-baked heart-shaped cookies and brownies; balloon bouquets; original poetry; framed picture of you smiling in some romantic place; balloon ride; picnic breakfast at sunrise; gift certificates to the mall or to a restaurant; voucher to do some yard work or wash his car; night out “with the boys” or an afternoon golf date; magazine subscription; scrapbook of pictures of the two of you.
You also might consider a charitable donation FROM THE HEART, either to your house of worship, a medical foundation, youth organization or homeless shelter. In keeping with the Valentine theme, you can donate to an organization for problems of the heart (physical or psychological). Arrange for the charity to send a simple card indicating that the donation was made in the recipient's honor.
More ideas, including gift suggestions for children and for grandparents, are available at www.valentines.com.
