Thinking Outside the (Chocolate) Box - Alternative, Lavish Gift Ideas for Valentine’s Day

By Drew Donaldson

Attention gentlemen in a serious relationship:

So you want to make a statement with your annual Valentine’s Day gift.  A real, honest-to-goodness statement; one that shows you put some serious thought and effort into it, and doesn’t scream “I scoured the seasonal aisle at the local Walgreen’s on February 13.”  (If you actually, in fact, have pulled off a Walgreen’s special before for the day o’ love in the past, don’t fret:  Every guy has done it.  Well, I haven’t, but I’m pretty sure most dudes have).  Chocolates are a safe choice, as are flowers, spa treatments, and heart-shaped pendants, but you want to do something a little more dangerous.  Okay, a lot more dangerous.  So dangerous, in fact, you want it to blow your beloved to the back of the room so thoroughly she’ll leave a body-shaped crater into the wall.   

Well, strap on a helmet and queue up the Kenny Loggins, because we’re about to enter the danger zone.  Now, there are plenty of alternative gifts that you can give to your sweetie on February 14^th; technically, you can buy anything and turn it into a Valentine’s Day gift, like pork chops or a lint brush (Note: I don’t advise buying either of those two examples).  However, the right kind of extravagant, “out of the box” gift will go a long way in helping to erase years of Valentine’s Day-related missteps, which were your fault, by the way.   Don’t try to deny that they weren’t.  Just accept your love’s scorn and vow to scatter the cloud that you created with that cheesy drug-store gift with a present that is worthy of your beloved.

Let’s start that recovery process, shall we?

Diamonds – I will freely admit that this is a bit of a cheat.  Diamonds do imply jewelry, which kinda makes it a safe choice.  And, yes, Marilyn Monroe once famously crooned something about the gemstone being a girl’s best friend.  (However, seeing as how she was once married to a somewhat bitter ex-New York Yankee and the guy who wrote the knee-slapper “Death of a Salesman,” you can almost argue she was in need of some chums that were inanimate objects).  But here’s the thing about diamonds:  The beauty that is found in these rocks is so stunning they seem to go one step beyond jewelry.  They are the highest form of elegance, and their sparkle gives any clothing ensemble head-turning status.  And nothing is cooler than being lucky enough to be attached to a significant other that turns heads. 

A Vintage Wine – There is something undeniably sensual about the art of pouring and sharing the right bottle of wine.  The wrong bottle of wine, though?  Major turn off.  What I’m saying is, stay away from the boxed stuff, get a bead on the type of grapes your wife loves, and seek out an appropriate award-winning wine with some age on its label.  You don’t have to go too far in the Way-back machine to pull this feat off, either:  As crazy at it seems a wine produced in 2004 is almost a decade old.  I’m having a little trouble accepting that as fact myself.

An “impromptu” weekend getaway to another California city – You may look at this and think, “uh…dude…Valentine’s Day is on a Tuesday.”  Dually noted.  However, if you put together a spur-of-the-moment jaunt to, say, San Diego or San Francisco the weekend after Valentine’s Day, I’m guessing your sweetie won’t really care what day February 14^th falls on.  Of course, perspective is everything; if you go this route, as you will be looking straight at a couple weeks of intensive planning on your part.  You know – booking flights, making hotel reservations, planning activities.  If it sounds like a lot of work, that’s because it is.  However, keep in mind that the payoff far outweighs the legwork.  Of course, if you really want to go over the top, think outside the state borders.  Heck, think outside the country borders.  Just think about how your beloved would react to the following sentence:  “Happy Valentine’s Day!  I’m taking you to Banff this weekend!”

Artwork – Everyone has a painting or sculpture that haunts their brain from the moment they lay their eyes upon it.  If you know your significant other as well as you should, you also know what piece of art has gripped her mind and won’t let go.  So imagine her delight and joy if she comes home on Valentine’s Day to see that captivating piece of art proudly hanging in your home.  This suggestion does with a caveat, though; if your sweetie is moved by something as base and ubiquitous as the famous “dogs playing poker” print, then you may want to skip this idea.

An Adventurous Outing – You want to really be dangerous?  How about tandem skydiving, or bungee jumping, or a little spin in a kayak through the Newport Back Bay?  Okay, so that latter example isn’t all that filled with as much danger as the other two.  Still, these three choices represent just some of the great ways that can bring you and your sweetie together in a way that cannot be accomplished by a material gift.  Besides, nothing bonds quite like dually participating in an activity that may kill you.  Just ask Romeo and Juliet.

A Car – Because purchasing a vehicle for your beloved on Christmas is so cliché. 

Of course, you can always augment these gifts with some of your classic choices like flowers or chocolates.  It certainly wouldn’t hurt if you did.  However, I will leave that to your discretion entirely.  Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to run over to my local Walgreen’s.