Ah, Valentines Day. Also known as the Feast of Saint Valentine, it originated back in AD 496 to honor Saint Valentine of Rome. Today, it’s a holiday marked by expressions of love – mainly with sentimental cards, hearts, flowers and candy. But there’s no law that says that we must stick to the tried-and-true. In fact, your significant others might be pleasantly surprised when they receive an unusual or more personal gift that they would never get for themselves. In that way, it’s a little like Christmas, only in February.
What makes the perfect gift?
They may not tell you, but most people love to receive gifts that speak to their own passions and personalities. So while many people love flowers and candy, it’s not universal. And others might be allergic to chocolate (perish forbid!) It may require a little more thought to find the perfect gift, but the look on their faces will be well worth it.
Below we’ve selected an assortment of Valentines Day gifts that might surprise and delight the people on your gift list. We leave it to you to choose the one that most closely matches the interests of the recipients.
Valentines Day gifts you may not have thought of
- Craft Kit – if your loved one enjoys working with his/her hands, why not surprise him/her with one of these? There are many to choose from; Business Insider has a list of knitting kits that we really like. And for crocheters, JoAnn store crochet kits are adorable and reasonably priced. The same goes for painters, seamstresses and embroiderers. The list of hobbies is endless, of course. But you get the idea.
- For the plant lover, houseplants last longer than flowers. There are many websites that will lovingly ship them throughout the U.S. For example, how about a mini olive tree? Or for the gardener, you can send seed kits in anticipation of Spring planting. Websites like the Hudson Valley Seed Company has a vast assortment or organic seeds and gift sets, but there are many purveyors out there, as well as plant stores that carry seeds and supplies.
- For the foodie, the variety is almost endless. But for something different, why not gift a selection of truffle hot sauces? Or a gift set of olive oils and balsamic vinegars? For the guys, there’s bourbon barrel-aged maple syrup. Anyway, you get the idea.
- For the techie on your list, there are cool charging stations, a smartphone-controlled paper airplane, or an electric outlet with a built-in timer.
- For the athlete, there’s a stainless steel drinking bottle, a wood massage roller, or experiencing a new hiking trail together.
- For the tea drinker, there’s an Organic Tea Sampler from David’s Tea; for the coffee drinker, there’s Grounds for Change’s coffee sampler. They also have chocolate, if you want to add that, too.
- For overall great gifts that are made in the USA, we love websites like Uncommon Goods, Doorstep Market, and of course WEBA Natural Products. We offer a variety of customizable gift boxes suitable for any occasion. All items are hand-crafted, vegan, palm oil free and sustainably packaged.
So why not treat yourself or someone you love to something a little different this Valentine’s Day? You just might start a new trend.