Remembering not to forget

Valentine’s Day is in a week and those of you with significant others may be beginning to panic right about now. This holiday can be tricky because it can be hard to figure out exactly how much to spend and what to buy. For those of you who haven’t decided what to get, here are some ideas that may help.

The Diamond Candle:
My boyfriend actually bought me one of these as an early Valentine’s Day present. What sets this candle apart from other candles is that it contains a ring buried in its wax. Each ring can be worth anywhere from $10 to $100 to $1,000 to $5,000. You never know what you’re getting, but it’s neat because it’s a gift within a gift, and even after you’ve gotten to the ring, you still have the rest of the candle to enjoy.

It’s hard not to go after the candle with a knife in order to dig out the hidden ring, but the suspense is fun and the idea is pretty ingenious. One warning, though: the idea of the candle can be kind of addicting, because you can’t help but wonder whether you might have the candle with a $5,000 ring in it. Even though you’re more than likely going to get a $10 ring, it’s tempting to keep buying more to see if you might get lucky. It’s a bit like those lottery scratch-off games — you’re more likely to win $1 than you are to win $1,000,000.

Flowers and chocolate:
This is the more traditional and safe route. Unless your partner dislikes or is allergic to flowers and/or chocolate, then you’ll probably get a positive response from this gift idea. This is a great gift if you’re buying last-minute, because nearly every grocery store has an overwhelming supply of flowers and chocolates. In fact, a lot of them have had a disgustingly large arsenal of pink and red heart-shaped confection-filled boxes since the beginning of January.

As far as the flowers go, those are generally sold year-round. If you’re incredibly unlucky and you can’t find adequate flowers anywhere, then you can always buy the fake ones … but I wouldn’t recommend this.

A massage:
School is stressful, and frankly, so is life. While massages can be on the expensive side, indulging in one every now and then isn’t a bad thing. For Valentine’s Day, I would recommend trying a couple’s massage. If you or your partner has never had a massage before, a couple’s massage can make you feel a little more comfortable about the experience.

A couple’s massage is generally done in a largish room with two tables — one for each person. You can either remain quiet during the massage or talk to each other, but the general idea is that you both come out of the massage feeling relaxed and restored. It’s a fun idea that both persons in the relationship can enjoy.

Something personal:
Though it may seem like the case, spending money isn’t the point of Valentine’s Day. The holiday is a day to express your love for your partner. Whether you decide to spend money in order to do this is up to you. I’ve found that sentimental gifts often mean more than anything you can buy for someone. Personal gifts can range from making something for your partner, giving them something of yours that has meaning behind it or giving them an experience, the sentiment will more than likely be greatly appreciated.

Good luck this Valentine’s Day. Even if everything goes horribly wrong, you still have marked-down candy to look forward to.