Valentine’s Day on February 14 is the one day when people expect some effort, whether it’s big or small or just meaningful . The holiday goes back centuries but the modern version today is as simple as people use it as an excuse to show and express their love through gifts, notes, and quality time. Still, the question remains: what are the best and worst gifts to give or get on Valentine’s Day?
The best Valentine’s gifts aren’t always the grand gestures or expensive gifts. In fact, most people I talked to said they would rather get something small and sentimental that feels personal than something flashy or luxurious that doesn’t mean anything.
“Yeah, the best probably like, you know, a handmade gift, like, something that, like, sentimental, you know, something that means something to like the couple, and not just like a box of chocolates,” sophomore Lucy Roberts said.
Sometimes the simplistic gifts, handmade cards, or just something personal automatically make it feel like your significant other actually tried. Even if it’s just a card with a sweet message it can mean more than something you grabbed at the last second without putting any actual thought into it.
Other students also had similar opinions of going the simple but sentimental route for gifts. “Nothing crazy, like, I wouldn’t want, like a diamond necklace or something like that. But just like something sweet, maybe like a little note and like a little box of chocolate,” senior Adriana Young said.
Although social media may push out a set narrative that your significant other needs to do something grand and luxurious for Valentine’s Day in order to show his appreciation and love for you, this is not always true as people actually prefer the opposite of what social media pushes. Most people don’t want pressure, they want to feel appreciated and receive something sweet or simple that’s realistic.
However, even when people do prefer classic gifts like candy or flowers, it’s the way you do it that matters. There’s a big difference between giving flowers because you thought about what the person likes, versus grabbing the first thing you see at the store that will suffice. The whole point of Valentine’s Day is to be considerate and celebrate love whether that may be romantic, friendship, or admiration. But it may feel stressful choosing what to get your significant other or planning a special day for them, which can be easily solved with the help of social media and the hundreds of resources including guides there are to pick from in order to get some ideas and you can choose the best fit one for your partner. For example, Table Magazine’s guide to Valentine’s focuses on making the day special through things like favorite foods, a nice dinner, and meaningful gifts, not just expensive items.
Therefore, the best gifts in many opinions are handmade or sentimental gifts (letters, scrapbooks, photo collages), and small gift baskets with candy or snacks the other person likes, or a simple dinner and quality time. All these gift ideas are great but now let’s move on to the question of what the worst gifts are?
“The worst is probably just like not doing anything because they’re like, Oh, we’re already together,” sophomore Lucy Roberts said.
Even if you’re already in a relationship with someone, it is not an excuse to not do anything, you still have to show effort. Sometimes it doesn’t need to be expensive, but it needs to exist. Even a small act like getting flowers still shows your consideration and could mean a lot to the other person. But doing nothing and making the person feel like they don’t matter is the worst gift possible.
“I feel like the worst Valentine’s Day gift is, honestly, it has to be like not giving you anything, because I feel like you can just give anything, like thoughtful at the end of the day. Like, it should just be effort at the end of the day. So I feel like it could be anything. Like, it could just be a card, like that’s sweet and thoughtful flowers,” junior Aryan Sharma said.
Many people also share the same opinion; no gift at all can feel like no effort at all. It can make your significant other feel like they are not seen and appreciated, or even worth a simple gift like flowers.
Senior Adriana Young also had a strong take on what makes a gift bad, “something childish with no meaning, or like a single flower,” she said.
If someone gives you one random flower with no note, no thought, and no effort, it can feel like they just did it to say they did something and get the day over with. So the worst gifts aren’t always a specific object instead it’s more about the message behind it. Therefore the worst gifts are: nothing at all, last minute gifts with no meaning, or a bare minimum gift that feels like you didn’t care.
Overall, the whole point of Valentine’s Day is not about proving how much money you have, it’s about proving you care. and it is supposed to be about affection and affection is shown through effort. Whether that effort is a letter, flowers, or a small dinner together, it matters most when it’s real.
