As a Valentine's Gift to one lucky commenter, I'm giving away an autographed copy of my out-of-the-box romance FIANCE AT HER FINGERTIPS, along with a handy little Burpee seed tote. Just leave a comment and one of my triplets will pick the winner! Good luck and Happy Valentine's Day!
It's 'that' time of year again. I'm not talking about tax time, or FAFSA filing deadlines, or even the cold, snowy, endless month of February. No. I'm talking nearly naked infants with bows and arrows, bouquets of roses, chocolates, romantic candlelit dinners and good wine.
For those of us currently--unattached--who witness the seemingly endless workplace delivery of VDay goodies to various employees, it's fitting that this year Friday the 13th precedes the day known as the most romantic day of the year.
Or for the single and searching, the suckiest day of the year.
In my job I wear a uniform and work mostly with guys. One of my coworkers came up to me last week looking very serious.
"I have a question for you," he said.
"Okay. What?" I responded.
"What would you like to get for Valentine's Day?"
"Come again?" I said, somewhat confused since the guy is happily married to a lovely woman.
"I'd like a woman's input. What would you consider a really nice Valentine's Day gift?"
The lightbulb finally illuminated my brain fog. He wanted gifting advice. Boy, had he ever come to the wrong place.
"As long as it's not a hubcap, shop vac, or socks, I'd be thrilled," I responded, listing some of the 'special gifts' I'd been treated to by my ex.
"Huh?" He stared at me.
Move on, Kathy, you so don't want to go there...
I tapped my chin.
"How about paper?" I said. "Reams and reams of paper? Or toner cartridges? An external hard drive would be nice. " I paused. "I've got it! If she's really special, you gotta get her a Kindle 2."
His stare got glassier.
"A candle? Women like candles that much?"
I shook my head. "A Kindle! You don't know what a Kindle is?" I asked, my turn to stare.
He shook his head.
"It's a electronic device used to download and read books," I explained. "It's the wave of the future in publishing. It's lightweight, compact, and just cute as a button."
He looked at me for a moment.
"And you think all that stuff is romantic, huh?" he finally said and I could just imagine what he'd left unsaid: No wonder you don't have a boyfriend. "Uh, thanks for the help," he added and moved on.
Sigh.
So how would you have answered my coworker's question? What would you consider a "really nice" Valentine's Day gift?
And just to satisfy my nosy Nellie side, next Thursday be prepared to divulge what your significant other treated you to--and vice versa--for Valentine's Day. PG rated material only, please! ;)
Don't forget to leave a comment so you're in the running for the book and bag!
Have a fantabulous Valentine's Day!
~Bullet Hole Bacus~
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48 comments:
Kathy, all of your gift ideas would be great. I'm printing them out and giving it my hubby!!
Oh, I would have also suggested a romance novel (written by that Bacus gal) paired with some chocolate and a gift certificate to her favorite store.
CC
How could I have forgotten books written by all my favorite authors, Christie! Can you tell I'm experiencing brain overload at the moment?
Happy Valentine's Day!
~Bullet Hole~
I heard some stats yesterday. A recent survey said men will spend $4 billion in red roses this Valentine's day. But if you ask women, they don't really want the roses. There top three answers for what they do want are:
3. A love letter
2. Dinner at their favorite nice restaurant
1. JEWELRY
yeah, flowers are nice, but when you get the fricken bill in the mail, you quickly forget how nice they were. I told Hubs not to be buying expensive flowers this year.
I'd love books, but I don't trust Hubs in the book buying department. He'd likely grab the first thing off the end cap and I'd end up with a cookbook and some nonfiction BS book to improve something or other.
Now a GREAT gift would be to blind fold me, take me to the book section, unblind fold me and say Happy Valentines day, Turkey. Take your pick of ten or fifteen books.
I hear you on Valentine's being the suckiest day of the year! But if I did have somebody, your list of gifts would be great! Or if he bought me books on my shopping list. That would be stellar!
Great post. A nice dinner in a restaurant is always nice but so is a home cooked meal, you dont have to cook or clean and a gift certificate to your favorite store (book stores are always good). Your suggestions are good ones.
bacchus76 at myself dot com
Your list is great. The gift should suit the person not society's definition of a romantic gift. My personal favorite is to just spend the evening together, some quality face time with my sweetie .... Mo
After the nice dinner, which I neither cooked nor cleaned up after, a gift certificate to a book store would be the perfect gift. And a lingering one as those good Valentine thoughts would come back as I spent it and then again as I read the books! Talk about the gift that keeps on giving.
Love your suggestions, some guys just don't get Valentine's Day. I prefer to stay home with a dinner and a movie!
We gotta have our bling,LuAnn! And the love letter shows we're still sentimental creatures. We want those words!
Thanks for the info!
~Bullet Hole~
Great idea, Keri! Give a gal a book and you give her the world!
~Bullet Hole~
I'm raising a glass to single gals everywhere this Saturday, Tori. And I'll probably buy some quality chocolate and treat myself to a few hours reading this weekend.
Happy Valentine's Day to me!
~Bullet Hole~
Those are great ideas, DonnaS. Gift cards are particular faves of mine--both giving and receiving.
~Bullet Hole~
I agree, Mo. The best gifts are ones that are thoughtful and personalized to the individual.
Hope you get your quality time with your sweetie!
~Bullet Hole~
I particularly like the 'no cooking/no clean up' component of your VDay dining experience, Terry S.
And you're right. Everytime you picked up your gift to read, you'd be warmly reminded of the giver.
~Bullet Hole~
I hear you, tetewa. Commuting back and forth to work each day, it's a pleasure to have an opportunity to relax at home after a nice meal and watch a good movie.
~Bullet Hole~
As another of the single set, this holiday means nothing to me. Then again, if you really look at it, it doesn't mean much to anyone. LOL! Love should pretty much be celebrated year round and NOT with flowers and chocolate.
I'm with the one who said the gift should mean something to the person getting it. I'd have told him to rack his brain thinking of something his wife pointed to in a store recently. Something she admired or said she'd love to have. (Though maybe not a Dust Buster or some sort.) The idea of him *remembering* and *paying attention* will make the gift perfect.
I told someone just today that he should get his wife a day at the spa. I know I'd like that!
"It's the wave of the future in publishing. It's lightweight, compact, and just cute as a button."
Also way over priced and still stuck with a proprietary format.
When it can read other ebook formats I'll probably first in line.
As for book gift certificates, I give them to my nieces and nephews for Christmas and birthdays. I'm not sure I'd have the courage to give them to a significant other (assuming I had one) unless I was 100% sure they'd like it.
I'd think a trip to someplace special and dining out would do it. (NO FAST FOOD PLACES!)
I'm a little on the weird side so I might take them here: http://www.butterflyplace-ma.com/
And while I'd love to win something don't put my name in the hat. I already own all your books.
Speaking of triplets how's that accident worked out so far for Eric(?)?
Your point is well taken, terrio. Romance should be alive and well throughout the year. And I know I always feel all warm and fuzzy when someone specifically remembers something I either mention I need or want and then gets it for me. It shows they're actually listening and paying attention--which, unfortunately, women don't always feel their fellas do all that frequently.
Enjoy the day doing some special just for you!
~Bullet Hole~
That's a fabulous idea, Lucy! A day at the spa with the works sounds veerrry nice.
~Bullet Hole who could use a spa visit~
I agree, Bookmobiler, that it would be nice if Kindle supported other ebook formats and cost considerably less. Hopefully, the cost will drop as competition for this market increases.
And it's looking up for Erick's car situation. The appraiser came Monday and looked at the damage. It appears he's more savvy than his insured (not too hard to achieve) as it looks like they will cover the cost of damages. At least we're keeping our fingers crossed. Thanks for asking!
~Bullet Hole~
One word - diamonds. :)
Alright, really anything sparkly would work.
~Gemma
In my opinion, a really nice valentine's gift would be someone taking my car and getting the oil changed, washing it, installing an remote car starter, and filling it with gas.
But unless a miracle happens, I'm gonna be single again this coming valentine's day. So I'm going to gift myself a car wash and a tank of mid-grade gas. (The oil change and the remote starter will have to wait.)
Happy Valentines!
I'm all about the flowers, cards and diamonds. Then my fantasy self goes away and the practical person that I really am, would think Hubby really loved me if he just cleaned up the disaster that is his desk... that big black hole of dust dinosaurs that sits behind me in the office. That would show me true love like nothing else.... or a box of Godiva chocolates... let's be realistic here too....
This question has come up multiple times for me recently, and I always cringe. It's so personal! As Mo said, there's no one gift that's romantic for everyone.
I know someone who hates chocolate. I don't pretend to understand, but still, the nicest chocolates in the world would be unappreciated.
I know someone who would hate a day at the spa. Again, she might have a screw loose, but . . .
I know some non-readers, and others for whom books are the greatest gift.
Last year on Valentine's Day I picked out and bought my first handgun with my husband. It wasn't technically a gift, but it was a great thing for us to do that day. :)
But the year he surprised me at Christmas with a necklace I'd regretted not buying two years earlier was fabulous too. Not because he bought me jewelry (I love the necklace!), but because he bought me something he knew would mean something to me.
It's tough in new relationships, but for someone who is married, paying attention to the person's true passions should help figure out a gift that will be appreciated. (Says the girl who can never figure out what to buy her husband, so take that last statement with a large grain of salt.)
Ahhhh, a Kindle (notice Homer Simpson-like drool out of side of mouth). That is a great suggestion! I'd love a spa gift, or books (actually a gift card so I can get the books I want), time alone so I can write and think, um... Yeah, it's a pretty personal thing. I would hate getting lingerie, I don't need chocolate and I couldn't stand roses because the price is too jacked up around Valetine's.
My husband and I have always exchanged cards and nothing else. We have each other and that is enough.
After all, diamonds are a girl's best friend, right, Gemma.
Oh, and just so you know, we'll expect a full post VDay report on whether or not Mr. Big delivered--in the sparkly category, of course.
;)
~Bullet Hole~
OMG, Refhater, I hadn't even thought of a remote starter! That would be like heaven. I'm always so envious of my coworkers who stick their hands out the door and start their automobiles from the warmth of the building.
And YES, a car wash, fill up, and oil change is another inspired idea. Good job!
~Bullet Hole~
I have friends who would be in heaven if their hubbies finally performed one or two items on their 'honey do' lists, RM.
And Godiva is always welcome...
~Bullet Hole~
A handgun! OMG! That is SO romantic, Jenifer--and NO I'm not being snarky here.
I think you've hit on the true spirit of romance, too. And that is knowing your partner intimately enough to pick something that is sure to please. Thanks for sharing!
~Bullet Hole~
I think we're pretty much on the same page regarding VDay, Michelle--no pun intended.
Right about now having some time to devote to writing sounds lovely.
~Bullet Hole whose writing tonight will consist of a paper for class~
Ah. I love that sentiment, Estella.
Happy Valentine's Day!
~Bullet Hole wiping her eyes~
I liked your ideas!!!
Nothing with a cord unless it's a TV or Computer! I've recieved sweepers, blenders, mixers but the worst was a rug cleaner - yuk. Jewelry is always nice.
Doing something he knows you like - maybe a play or movie that he wouldn't otherwise go to. Dinner is always nice too. But if it's something particular to you - such as maybe a GC to a bookstore if he doesn't know the exact reading that you like. It's the thought and effort that counts for me more than the cost of anything. My husband likes lottery tickets lol.
Wow you had some great ideas! I know what dear hubby will get me most likely nothing. He is not big into buying gifts. Yea I got one of those kinds of men.
I love chocolate, flowers, candle-light dinners. But my favorite gift anytime --- B&N giftcard.
Thanks for stopping by, Beth!
~Bullet Hole~
Lottery tickets are a fun idea, catslady! I sure wouldn't sneeze at a chance to win big bucks by scratching.
But you're right about knowing the person you're gifting. It shows thought and it's the thought that counts, right?
Happy Valentine's Day!
~Bullet Hole~
Maybe you can suggest doing something the two of you enjoy, Virginia. And maybe your dh will surprise you and suggest something himself.
Either way, I'm sure being together is a gift in and of itself.
Happy Valentine's Day!
~Bullet Hole~
I hear you on the bookstore gift card, Jill. And chocolates just happen to go nicely with a book.
Thanks for stopping by! Have a super Valentine's Day, too!
~Bullet Hole~
Lol.
The perfect Valentine Day gift for me would be a night or two at a B & B with spa treatment and Laura Secord Frosted Mint Chocolates.
Happy Valentine's Day!
I've got my eye on a cool ring I recently saw, but it's a bit extravagant for V-day. Right at the moment I'd settle for take-out and a romantic comedy DVD after the kids go to bed :)
Great gift ideas. :) I would love a meal I didn't have to cook and some pampering products.
Love your idea of the B&B, Michelle and those frosted mint chocolates sound yummy!
~Bullet Hole~
As LuAnne pointed out, Jenyfer, jewelry is number one on most women's Valentine's Day gift list. I'm partial to necklaces and bracelets, but rings are nice, too.
~Bullet Hole~
Now that I'm working longer hours and commuting and the triplets are in college, I don't cook as much as I used to, Crystal, but I agree--having a break from cooking/clean up duty would be a treat. And I love nosing around Bed, Bath, and Beyond so something from there would be very nice.
~Bullet Hole~
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