Tomorrow is St Valentine’s Day. While the day has been taken over by lovers, it is a day for showing love, appreciation and care to those nearest and dearest to us with beautiful words and gifts.

It is understandable that times are a bit hard, but that doesn’t mean you cannot celebrate the special people in your life; be it your partner, children, parents, friends and even colleagues. This year, gifting that special man in your life handkerchief, singlet and boxers must not repeat itself again. Gifting that special woman in your life some generic chocolates and card must not happen again.

Valentine’s Day gifts, whether big or small, should be a sweet gesture that shows your loved one just how much they mean to you and must be thoughtful. With just a little research, finding the perfect gift for your loved one can be very easy.

Here are some gift ideas to guide you, but ensure you have in mind what they have been asking for and get it for them if you can afford it.

Romantic gifts
Jewelry: Wherever you met your significant other, you can use a personalised, gold neckpiece to commemorate the most important place (where you met and date) in your relationship.

A Day off: Valentine’s this year falls on a Sunday and a day being pampered with manicure, pedicure and facials and massage is not a bad idea. Opt for a couple’s massage to make it more romantic.

Flowers: These are a beautiful touch but ensure you accompany it with something else to show you put in effort.
Personalised photo book/album: Create a custom photo book highlighting all your favourite memories with your significant other.

Gadgets: You can gift him/her the latest gadgets or phones especially something they have been indicating they wanted.
Beauty: You don’t have to be a makeup or hair expert, but you could order her a personalised makeup bag with her favourite products, perfume or get a ‘bone-straight’ weave for her. For a man, you can get him quality male care products and intimates; men usually don’t buy those things themselves.

Homemade gift basket: It is not only at Christmas that you gift out hampers and gift baskets, Valentine’s Day is also a perfect day to gift your loved ones a thoughtful hamper. Ensure you fill it with necessary, useful and thoughtful gifts that would have them thinking of you all year long.

Cook for her: On this day, enter the kitchen and cook up something special for her and the children if you have any. Sometimes, easy is just what you need, and there’s nothing like the smell of hot jollof rice filling the house. You can read and follow a cookbook as well as the next person so get to it.

Board games: Gift your loved one a board game, and you’ll have a brand new activity that the two of you can enjoy together. Skip the traditional games and if you really want to heat things up, get a flirty “adult” card game.
A surprise vacation: If you want to really spice it up, book a simple weekend getaway for the both of you.

A copy of their favourite book: This one is easy and romantic. Pick up a copy of their favourite author and gift it to them with a personalised message written inside the front cover. If you can afford a limited edition, why not?

Gifts for long Distance relationships
We didn’t forget you lovebirds in long distance relationships and we are aware that a LDR can be a challenge. Here are some things you can do even if they are far away from you on that day.

Delivery flowers: It’s hard to maintain a strong relationship if you feel disconnected from your partner. Help them feel a little closer to you by ordering flowers to their home or work. It will make your partner feel special that you haven’t forgotten them.

Key chain: We use our keys everyday; so buying a key chain is a good way to give your partner a reminder of how much you love them. This couple’s key chain is perfect for long distance relationships.

A dual zone watch: If you live between time zones, you know how annoying it is to constantly calculate the time difference. A dual zone watch is a thoughtful gift for your long distance partner that will solve this problem. If all these fail, money is an everlasting gift and you can never go wrong with cash.