What to Get a Boyfriend for Valentine’s Day

When you think of Valentine’s Day gifts, what springs to mind? Pour moi, it’s homemade heart shaped cards with doilies on them, chocolates and roses, weekends away, gorgeous silk lingerie and little boxes containing necklaces, earrings and bracelets. You may notice that most of these things are gifts one might expect a woman to receive. For most people, that’s just what comes to mind – boy brings flowers to girl’s house, boy takes girl out for a romantic dinner, boy gives girl some lovely perfume or sparkly jewelry…

Banish any misconceptions you may have about Valentine’s Day being all about men taking women out and buying Valentine’s gifts for her. Valentine’s Day is a unisex celebration – don’t leave the dinner arrangements and gift buying all to your man, do your part and include him in the fun! When it comes to buying Valentine’s gifts for men, there are endless possibilities. So if you are a woman, and you have a man in your life, embrace the true spirit of Valentine’s Day and shower your man with gifts! He will love that you thought to spoil him, and on account of your being the most awesome wife or girlfriend in the world, he is likely to give you some lovin’ in return. Read on for some Valentine’s Day gift inspiration!

DIY

Do It Yourself gifts, straight from the heart are always winners, especially if you put a little effort into them. If the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, then you can’t go wrong with homemade beef jerky, peanut brittle, rocky road or ranger cookies. You could prepare a fabulous dinner using all the foods you know he loves, and then present him with a special gift, hand-made by you! If you are a knitter, knit him a woolly pair of winter socks for bed or a scarf (just be sure it doesn’t look like something his grandma made him – bad memories of being teased at school are not what you want on Valentine’s Day). Make him something that he can use. If he plays golf, make him golf club head covers, if he loves beer, make him a personalized drink koozie, and if he’s into reading, make him a leather book cover!

IOU

If Valentine’s Day is the only day of the year that you remember to “date” your husband, a book of “love vouchers” is the perfect gift. Create “I.O.U” coupons for dinners out, massages, weekends away, breakfast in bed, foot rub etc. and make them good for a whole year (until next Valentine’s Day). That way, he can cash in on a little romance any time throughout the year. To make your love vouchers, type them up on your computer. You can write something like: “This Coupon Entitles the Bearer to: Breakfast in Bed” and then below: “Expiration [insert date].” Print the coupons and cut them out. Make them a little fancy by gluing the coupons onto colored cardstock. This will make them pretty and more “professional” looking. You can punch a hole in the top of each coupon and tie them together with string or ribbon to make a booklet.

BBQ

Ask most men and they will tell you they enjoy a little alone time out at the grill every now and then. There’s something about his ability to be in command of fire and to master a tender sirloin at the same time. A new barbeque tool set is likely to go down well, as is anything even vaguely barbeque related, like a Leather Beer Holster, perfect for keeping his beer close at hand while leaving his hands free to turn the sausages and to gesture while regaling his friends with a story about his latest fishing trip.

ESPN

Man + Sport = Happiness. Fuel his passion with paraphernalia relating to his favorite game. Buy him sports gifts that get him out there on the field, like bats and balls and sports apparel, or buy gifts that let him sit on the couch and admire the talents of others, like the New York Times History of Baseball coffee table book, which is filled with great sporting moments and interesting facts about the game through history.

XOXO

Rule #1 for Valentine’s Day gifts for your man: this is the one day in the whole year that you will get away with being utterly romantic and mushy. Give romantic gifts straight from the heart and feel completely shameless doing so. Truth be known, there is a romantic little boy buried deep within even the most no-nonsense man. Go overboard with the romance – remember it’s your one day! And finally, don’t forget to give him the best gift of all – lots of Valentine’s Day kisses and hugs!