Get Valentine a gift card and tie it to a potted plant. The plant will last longer than roses and won’t cost near as much. Add a simple note revealing your true feelings, which is all anybody really needs on Valentine’s Day anyway.

Go Crazy

If you want to go crazy–buy a collection of gift cards and tie each one to a different stem. Use a theme so Valentine knows you picked cards purposefully (and didn’t just stand at the kiosk grabbing things.)

Some Ideas

- Pedicure and shoe store
- Dinner and a movie
- Clothing store and salon
- Spa and bookstore
- Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
- Tennis lessons and tennis store

Or keep it simple and just write that heartfelt note.

My best Valentine’s Day memory will always be waking up to a special breakfast of pink pancakes. Oh, how I wish this particular holiday had stayed so sweet and simple.

The Evolution

• Elementary School: Loved making the mailbox and delivering cards to classmates. Didn’t like mushy, “Be Mine” quotes on the pre-printed cards. Wished I had more that read, “Have a Nice Valentine’s Day.” Worried someone would mistake canned comments for my actual feelings. Ick.
• Junior High School:  Missed the mail boxes and hand delivery. Saw some girls receive Valentine’s Day gifts from boys. Knew the only Valentine I’d receive that day would be from my mom. On the fence about that.
• High School: School fundraiser. Kids buy carnations and have them surprise delivered to classmates throughout the day. Didn’t get any. Pink pancakes and Valentine from mom lessens the blow. A little.
• College: Had a boyfriend who bought me flowers for the first time. Fell in love with the idea of having a Valentine and mistook those feelings for actual love. Ick.
• Dating: Does he love me? Does he love me not? What if I write, “Be Mine” and he writes, “Have a Nice Valentine’s Day?”
• Married: Do we even need to exchange Valentine’s Day cards? Yes, of course we do. Got to keep the flame alive. But let’s not spend too much on the gifts–we’ve got bills to pay.

And Now…

I’ll make pink pancakes for my elementary school kids. I’ll give my husband a card and tell him how much I love and appreciate him. I’ll probably even make spaghetti for dinner because it’s one of his favorites and the kids will think the red pasta sauce is Valentiney. They’ll be sick from eating all the candy they got in their mailboxes and I’ll put them to bed early. Then Paul and I will snuggle on the couch, eat licorice and Hot Tamales, and watch one of our favorite shows on DVR.

I’ll realize, once again, that this simple Valentine night makes up for all the miserable Valentine’s Days I endured when I was younger. Worth the wait.

Thanks to all who voted in our Valentine’s Day poll and congratulations to Charlene who won the Michael’s Gift Card.

We wanted to know whether or not you think it’s okay to give a gift card on Valentine’s Day when presents are supposed to be tokens of affection, representing how you feel about a person?

The Votes are In

As the poll shows, the answer is, “Yes.” 84 percent of the people who responded to our poll said a gift card is perfectly acceptable on Valentine’s Day. And though 30% would like to receive a gift card, another 30% would like something a little more sentimental–like a handwritten note. In a tough economy, it’s nice to see that simple gifts are appreciated and gift cards, which can save time and money, are welcome.

See full poll results here.

Which Gift Cards?

In the contest, we asked you to name the gift card you’d most like to receive. So pay attention Valentines because here are the most requested gift cards:

• Michaels, Jo-Ann Fabrics, Hobby Lobby or other craft supply store
• Target or Wal-Mart
• Visa or American Express
• Bookstore
• Movie
• Restaurant
• Amazon.com
• Sephora

Now some of those gift cards are pretty generic, meaning they can be used anywhere or you can buy any variety of things with the particular gift card. So, in my opinion, you need to work a little harder to make the presentation special. For example, a VISA gift card on Valentine’s Day could be cleverly packaged with things that spell out the word, “Valentine” such as: V for Visa Gift Card, A for apple of my eye, L for love, etc.”

You may have a practical gal or guy on your hands who does appreciate the flexibility of a gift card, but it’s still wise to put a little effort into make it more personal. Check out other ideas in my Valentine’s Day section.

Michaels posted this video on their Facebook page and I wanted to share it with you. Several little gifts are tied together with a ribbon, all stuffed neatly into a shipping tube. As the recipient pulls the ribbon, the presents are revealed, leading up to a big gift at the end. Jo’s finale is a crafty Valentine t-shirt, but I suggest topping things off with a gift card instead.

My Version

I love what Jo has done, but for my taste (and time constraints), I’d probably get a smaller tube and tie just two or three items en route to the gift card. You’d get the same effect without the added expense and effort.

Fun Themes

You could adapt this idea to any occasion–a baby shower, bridal gift, teacher appreciation, or birthday. I see a theme tube as well–maybe a group gift of several gift cards tied to the ribbon. Or a movie gift card tube including snacks and movie tickets with theater wrapping paper on the tube itself. A baseball themed tube with sports page wrapping and baseball cards, sunflower seeds, cracker jacks, and an MLB gift card inside. Oh, a tennis ball canister would work great here as well. Uh-oh, I’m starting to trip over myself with gift card ideas! Seriously, who doesn’t want to open a string of goodies to get to a gift card??! So many possibilities.

Speaking of Michaels

Speaking of Michaels, don’t forget to answer the Valentine’s Day poll to be entered in the $25 Michaels Gift Card drawing. You just might win and then you can march yourself down to Michaels to make your own Valentine’s Day tube! Good stuff!

I need your help. Do you think it’s okay to give or receive a gift card on Valentine’s Day? You KNOW I think it’s a good idea. But perhaps you’re after more traditional sentiments from your sweetie.

Click on this link to take a poll then leave a comment and you’ll be entered to win a $25 Michael’s Gift Card.

With just a little effort, I think a gift card can be dolled up into a perfect Valentine’s Day gift. But others might think the gift with a reputation for being impersonal is just a little too risky. What do you think?

Please click here or on the link below and let me know. Thanks for your input!

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