5 Questions to Ask If You Want to Give the Best Valentine’s Day Gift Ever

By Jessica Huynh, Storyteller for RU Student Life

Love is in the air! If you haven’t already gotten a Valentine’s Day gift for that special person your life, you’re either a last minute kind of person, or hopelessly at loss on what to get your lover. If you’re nodding your head to the latter category, you’re not alone. In fact, ‘Valentine’s Day ideas’ is one of the most searched phrases leading up to Valentine’s Day. Other popular searches include: Valentine’s Day Gifts for Her, Valentine’s Day Gifts for Him, Romantic Valentine’s Day Gifts, Cute Valentine’s Day Gifts, and Cheap Valentine’s Day Gifts.

While generic gifts like roses, flowers, and chocolate are classics, the best gifts are always the personalized ones. You know, the ones where your partner sees it and goes, “No way! How did you know? / How did you remember? / How do you know me so well?!”

This year, step outside the classics and pick a gift that will definitely show how much your partner means to you. Here’s 5 questions to ask yourself if you want to give the best Valentine’s Day gift ever:

1. What is something they’ve been eyeing, but would feel too guilty spending on out of their own pocket?

If you’re willing to spend and have been listening closely, there’s probably something your partner has been lusting over but feels too guilty splurging on. Maybe it’s tickets to a concert that’s just out of their budget, or a pair of sneakers that would be two weeks’ worth of their paycheck. Perhaps it’s a purse they’ve been drooling after, but can’t purchase knowing they have a collection of purses at home. Or, if there’s an experience they can’t justify spending on, beat them to the punch and surprise them.

2. What’s their favourite food? Favourite place to eat out? Favourite snacks to munch on?

Most people love to eat, or they at least love to eat the food they love. Win some extra hearts this Valentine’s Day and take your partner to their favourite restaurant. If they have a favourite kind of food (Italian, Chinese, or Indian), take them somewhere they’ve never been before. It’s always fun going to new places with your partner.

If you prefer skipping the Valentine’s Day crowds this year, put your cooking and baking skills to work and make them their favourite meal. If cooking/baking isn’t your forte (or you’re like me and would rather not make your partner eat burnt food), round up a gift basket with all their favourite snacks . Add a cute personalized note about how they can now binge eat while binge watching Netflix.

3. Is there something they’ve been meaning to get or do, but have been too inconvenienced to bother getting or doing?

They say the older you get, the more you appreciative you are about receiving socks as a gift. The reason behind this? People enjoy receiving things they need, but can’t bother to get/do themselves. Has your partner been meaning to take their car to the shop? Take it for them. Have they been meaning to get a rain coat, but only seem to remember whenever it rains? Buy them a rain coat. Perhaps they’ve been meaning to book an appointment with a masseuse to get that knot out of their back? Book it for them. Whatever it is, the best gifts are the ones that make your life easier. When something is pre-paid or done for you and you can just kick back and relax, you can’t help but feel grateful that your partner was so thoughtful in their actions.

4. What are they a geek about?

Everyone geeks out over something, whether it’s sports, music, technology, video games, books, television shows, rock climbing, fashion, beauty, celebrities, or science. If you know your partner well, there’s probably a topic they spend tons of time investing their energy to know more about. For example, I was a huge nerd for Harry Potter growing up. When my family was ever in doubt as to what to get me as a gift, they would get me something Harry Potter related and I would be as happy as a kid on Christmas morning.

Allow your partner’s inner geek to come out this Valentine’s Day by telling them you love them and giving them something they can nerd out about.

5. What is something we can experience together that they will enjoy?

At the end of the day, your partner chose you and wants to be with you. If you’re celebrating Valentine’s Day this year, spending time together should be the most important part. Make this day extra special by planning the day or evening with their interest in mind. Do they love art? Drop by Paint Lounge together. Do they love science? Take them to the Ontario Science Museum, or invite them over and have the supplies ready to do a kids science experiment together. The point is to do something together out of the ordinary or slightly different so that Valentine’s Day is just a little more special than any other date night.

Tweet us @RUStudentLife and share with us the best gift you’ve ever given or received on Valentine’s Day.