Finding a Unique Valentine’s Day Gift

Toss the chocolate idea, unless your honey loves it that much. And certainly don’t take her out to dinner on the actual day - too much pressure and way too much of a cluster. Come home with lingerie and it'll be used as fire kindling. If you’re anything like me, you want your partner to think outside of the box and get a unique Valentine’s Day gift. Flowers are amazing, but guess what? I can and do buy myself flowers all year long. It’s been that way since my single days. Give me pizzazz, excitement, but mostly thought. Celebrating cliché holidays can be fun, and it doesn’t have to be stale or contrived. Let’s get into my top picks for this coming Valentine’s Day. You’re going to love these ideas!

What do you mean, "experience"? This idea came to me selfishly, as I was perusing fun things to do in and around my city of New Orleans. Much to the dismay of others who love live music in a danky bar, I don’t. Music, yes. Danky bar, no. However, take me to an ABBA Experience? You’ll never get rid of me as your true love. After seeing an ABBA Experience in London, and Mamma Mia! at our local theatre even before that, I’m mildly obsessed. Between them and Queen, I can’t choose, but I would opt to go back in time to see both. For a unique Valentine’s Day gift, give your boo an experience they’ll never forget. And if you’re my boo, I better be going to see that ABBA Experience.

Giving or getting a unique Valentine’s Day gift doesn’t have to be romantic. On the contrary, it can be fun and light. Having a Bingo night with friends or other couples seems like one of the more appealing things you could do if you’re not a traditionalist. You can always add some fun elements to it, like dressing up in pink and red, or having those gross little hearts with messages for dessert. These are just the brilliant ideas I have right off the top of my head. Really, though, Bingo with friends should be enough to cover the entire night. 

Don’t buy me a bottle of wine, my dear. Take me to a tasting. Wine tastings for me are like the liquid version of tapas. Having 5 or 6 small glasses of wine is the perfect way to enjoy and celebrate love for one another, in my humble opinion. All over the world, tasting wine is something enjoyed by many lovebirds. Don’t like wine? There are beer tastings, whiskey, scotch…you name it. Your sweetie can snag a couple of tickets to one of these events, and you’ve got yourself a unique Valentine’s Day gift. Easy, enjoyable, and delicious. Beat that. Or just drink that.

If you want more of a “thing” to give to honey buns, I highly suggest a photo print, framed of course. The love locks covered with snow attached to a bridge in dreamy Salzburg print is the perfect unique Valentine’s Day gift. How many people do you know have a photo like this? I’ve been to a few cities with these types of bridges with locks, and they give me a warm and fuzzy every time. Never have I put one on myself, but I think I will on another trip to old Paris. The photo is gorgeous and will be highly appreciated. Order soon so I can get it to you before February 14!

Something I have gifted myself: organization done by another competent human. We all love having our spaces organized, but we don’t all know how to make that happen. Giving the gift of organization by hiring someone for a few hours is one of the more unique Valentin’s Day gift ideas that I have. This is not going to be for everyone, folks, but the people who crave neatness will go bonkers for this gift. Not only will it give your space the attention and good looks it needs, it will lighten the mental load of the recipient. Trust me when I say, this could be a big winner in some people’s lives.

The older I get, the more into teas and coffee I am. I buy it all over the world when I travel, but I also buy it domestically. It’s a unique Valentine’s Day gift if done right. Don’t pick up a bag of Starbucks ground coffee and call it a win. When traveling, even if it’s just to another city, grab a bag of local tea or coffee. While writing this, I made myself a cup of tea I picked up at the local farmers market. I savor it each time I drink it. Recently we finished a bag of coffee we picked up in Austria at a fancy coffee shop. Each morning for coffee I felt a connection to my travels there. These are simple and relatively inexpensive, but can mean a lot. Try a subscription to Trade Coffee. A smidge pricey but fun to get new coffees each month.

Our world’s pace is simply too much some days. Taking a meditation, mindfulness, or even yoga class together could help connect you and your boo. And it’s a super unique Valentine’s Day gift. Taking time to be with your other half without distraction is so incredibly important. It’s necessary for the health of the relationship, and it sets you up for future success. Consider this type of gift a deposit into the relationship bank account. You’ll both get a lot out of it and the recipient will feel seen. Even if this is a totally foreign concept to you both, trust me when I say that it’s not wasted time spent together. Get out of that comfort zone and get into the meditation zone.

High on my bucket list! Hiring a private chef for either the two of you or (ideally) a small group as a Valentine’s Day gift is clutch. Skip the bad service at a restaurant and have an intimate gathering at someone’s house with  stellar food and primo drinks. I can’t think of a better way to spend an evening, honestly. More and more I appreciate the small groups of friends I have, and I don’t want to be bothered by large groups around me. This isn’t something I’ve done for myself yet, but it will be soon. Especially because I now am friends with a private chef. What am I doing still typing? I need to go book her.

And let your arrow go…straight to one of my unique Valentine’s Day gift ideas. I hope this Valentine’s Day doesn’t come and go with a lame box of chocolates from Walgreens. Celebrate it with style! It doesn’t have to come with agony from not knowing how to gift. I happen to be a very good gift giver because I pay attention to what people say they like and want. When I care about you, I want to get you what you like, love, and enjoy. Not what I think you should like, love, and enjoy. I’m hoping something on my list resonated with you and you can go with confidence this coming Valentine’s Day. And I’m hoping for one of everything I suggested. Someone send this to my husband.