The Modern Gentleman’s Guide to Valentine’s

Photo credit @ Jesse M. Kahn

While a Modern Gentleman doesn’t wait for a holiday like Valentine’s Day to come around to show the special someone in his life how he feels, he also doesn’t let it pass by unacknowledged. Gift giving represents an opportunity to show someone how well you know them: their interests, their likes and dislikes, their dreams and goals. Conversely, it can also send a message that you don’t know them, so however well-intentioned or expensive it is, if it’s completely off the mark or is obviously generic, it’s unlikely to elicit the feelings that a really well-chosen gift can.

With under two weeks to go, there’s still enough time to plan something special for Valentine’s, or at a minimum avoid sending signals that you haven’t been paying attention. Here are some suggestions to get your ideas bubbling as intoxicatingly as a fine champagne.

The Dos and Don’ts of Flowers and Chocolate

You might be thinking that it doesn’t show much thought to buy flowers and chocolate, and that might be true in some circumstances. Do you know your partner’s favorite flower or favorite florist? If you do, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with having a special arrangement made for them. What might be a little less likely to impress is the fall back long-stemmed red roses approach. The same goes for chocolate. Avoid the Forrest Gump “you never know what you’re gonna get” variety in favor of knowing exactly what you’re going to get. Does your partner love marzipan? Chocolates with a hint of hazelnut? A rich, dark truffle? If you know which one makes his or her toes curl, fill a heart-shaped box with them. Of course, if you can sneak some alone time in the kitchen, even better would be to bake up a batch of homemade treats. Or… pick a recipe, have the ingredients ready, and bake them together. It’s a rare heart that doesn’t melt when someone puts on an apron for them.

So Much More than Just a Card

Carrying on with the homemade theme, sharing your talents with the one you love with a card made by you is much more romantic that anything bought in a store. Have a penchant for design? Drawing? Writing? Statistics? It might be obvious what to do with those first three skills, but even the latter can serve as inspiration for an amazing Valentine’s card. Tell your love story with charts and graphs. Calculate the percentage of time spent cuddling in the last year. Your card doesn’t even have to be on paper. Given the incredible ease of setting up a WordPress blog inclusive of personalized domain, you can design a day out for the two of you and have it ready to go online for the big reveal. Simply write the link into the card and let the surprises unfold from there. Best of all, the two of you can keep the blog going when the day has come and gone.

007 Hits the Boutiques

When it comes to buying a physical gift, there are a lot of naysayers out there warning how this can go terribly wrong, but here’s how it can go absolutely right. The next time you two hit the shops, pay special attention to what catches your partner’s eye. If they linger over a particular counter, chances are you’re narrowing in on a winner. Once your super sleuth skills have identified the prize, all you have to do is return and complete the transaction.

Gift giving is an art that sets the real romantics apart. Choose well, Gentlemen.