Valentine Gifts for Women

Valentine's Day: the day most people both love and dread at the same time. Most women spend the week before wondering what their sweet will buy for them. When the day arrives, women sit anxiously at their desks waiting for a delivery. They shoot daggers with their eyes at other women who get balloons, bouquets, candy, and stuffed animals, secretly wishing that they themselves were receiving these gifts. I am not one of these women. I hate Valentine's Day! Why must we declare a day for our loved one to buy us things? Does conforming to society's expectations really show that my boyfriend loves me? Does missing this day mean that he doesn't care? My boyfriend does things for me throughout the year. He buys me gifts, takes me out, cooks for me, spends time just watching TV with me. When I'm sick he takes care of me. All of these things are done because he wants to do them, not because society deems that it should be so. He doesn't forget Valentine's Day, but he doesn't make it anymore special than any other day he chooses to do something special for me. I'm not saying that you shouldn't observe Valentine's Day, but it should be about your feelings for that person and not about what's on sale on Wal-Mart's candy aisle. That being said, here is a list of things my boyfriend has done for me. They weren't all on Valentine's Day, and they weren't all store bought or sent from a florist. However, they were special to me. 1: He made me dinner. I know that sounds clich?, but it's really nice. You're spending time together, and he gets to show off his cooking skills for you. 2: He made me something. My boyfriend likes to hunt, and he's really good at it. Not only do I get venison whenever I want it, but he also makes carvings out of the antlers. 3: He taught me something. Growing up, I never had the opportunity to learn to drive a stick shift. No one I knew had one, but his truck is a stick shift. He'd heard me telling a friend that I couldn't drive one, so he surprised me by making a date to teach me. It was the most fun I'd ever had with him up to that point. I'm not saying that your boyfriend shouldn't buy you things or take you places. Mine does. However, I will say that I remember more details about the random 2:00 A.M. run to White Castle much more than I remember the birthday dinner at my favorite Japanese restaurant.

By Shyla Martin