Valentine's Day

14th February, the day of love; Valentine’s Day. It comes around on the same day each and every year however despite the predictable nature of the occasion I always find myself heading over to Amazon a few days before to undertake some inspiration-void last minute panic purchases to secure that ‘extra special’ gift. It’s a serious of case of simply lacking Valentine’s ideas.

If this sounds familiar then it’s time to take things up a gear by doing something a little better this year, put some thought in to it and prepare for Valentine’s Day in advance.

A Covid-19 Valentine’s Day for 2021

And of course how can we forget the elephant in the room. With the country currently locked down with Covid-19, this year Valentine’s Day is going to need to be a little different. You won’t be able to head out to the shops to browse the gift aisles nor will you be able to secure a table at your favourite restaurant.

And with Covid-19 lockdowns and working from home forcing couples to spend more time with each other than ever before, whether you remain madly in love with your significant other or are just about ready to start sleeping in the spare bedroom, Valentine’s Day may well be the perfect opportunity to reset, re-connect and re-ignite those feelings for one another.

Of course on the other end of spectrum there are those who are single who for the past year have been unable to meet new people, try out new relationships and ultimately find love.

Whatever your situation don’t let Covid-19 get you down, there are plenty of ways to enjoy and make the most of Valentine’s Day this year.

Valentine’s Day gifts

Buying Valentine’s Day gifts for one another has been a long-standing Valentine’s Day tradition and this year should be no exception. The shift to online shopping has well and truly taken hold and with a seemingly endless choice of websites offering Valentine’s Day presents from start ups and established brands alike, you are sure to find that perfect gift.

Valentine’s gifts for her

If you are looking for that perfect Valentine’s gift for her this year the best advice is to not overcomplicate things! It’s all too easy to spend hours and hours shopping around online to find something special when more often than not, keeping your gift simple will go far.

Roses

Chocolate

Jewellery

Whether you are looking for Valentine’s Day gifts for a girlfriend or Valentine’s Day gifts for a wife, stick to buying some flowers and chocolate and don’t overthink things, you don’t need to go “all out” nor do you need to spend a fortune and break the bank.

If you do want to go that little bit further then buying some nice jewellery or perfume is a great choice.

If you’re looking for some further gift inspiration for her this year, head over to our Valentine’s gift ideas for her page or spend some time taking a look at the great options available on Amazon.

Valentine’s gifts for him

Buying a Valentine’s Day gift for him shouldn’t be a stressful affair. Too many times I talk to people who don’t know what to buy for “the man who has everything” but this really is just overthinking Valentine’s Day. Valentine’s Day doesn’t need to be an expensive or extravagant event so just look to keep things simple this year.

Aftershave

Gadgets

Leather

Some of the best options for his gift this year are aftershave, toiletries, gadgets and leather items. They are classic Valentine’s Day gifts which are great to receive all year around and won’t require you to take out a mortgage in an attempt to impress.

So whether you are looking for a romantic Valentine’s Day gift for a boyfriend or your husband, be sure to buy him something classic and practical this year.

If you are looking for some other great options head over to our Valentine’s gifts for him page or take a look at the huge selection of products available on Amazon.

Personalised Valentine’s gifts

Personalisation has grown significantly over the past 5 years with people wanting to add that extra touch of effort and consideration to their Valentine’s Day gift. There are some great options online for personalised gifts so this is a great option to think about for this year.

It’s pretty much a case of if an object now exists, it can be personalised! Whether it is simply getting your loved one’s name printed to on a card or producing a personalised wall picture, pair of socks or bag, the options are seemingly endless in this space. That doesn’t of course guarantee you quality so be sure you check the product information to ensure a great product is received that won’t disappoint.

When it comes to personalised gifts there are 2 destinations that really stand out – Moonpig and Etsy – be sure to head over there and take a look.

Moonpig

Moonpig

Moonpig is a fantastic destination if you are looking to buy a personalised Valentine’s Day card this year. The personalisation element for cards is extensive so whether you are looking for a cute, funny, insulting or romantic card they have them all, ready for you to upload your own photos, message and even sound. Shop at Moonpig.com here.

Etsy

Etsy

For a personalised gift that is a little extra special I would head over to Etsy who boast over 80m items for sale from over 3m independent sellers. Offering handmade and personalised gifts you can be confident that what you buy from here won’t be found on the high street or be the same gift that everyone else is giving this year. Shop at Etsy.com here.

Funny Valentine’s gifts

Buying a funny Valentine’s gift is definitely a choice to make only where you are 100% confident of knowing the reaction. And humour does of course take many forms! A humorous gift may focus on a personal experience that only you and your other half can relate to or it may be something that you saw online which tickled you.

What we all know about buying a funny Valentine’s Day gift on the most romanticised day of the year is that you are in dangerous territory. If you misjudge the humorous element of your gift you are going to be making up for it for quite some time. So guys, that baby Yoda may be entertaining and go down well however avoid that crotchless lingerie set “for her” and absolutely steer clear of outright insult based gifts. They may feel funny at the time but chances are, your other half will simply be left disappointed.

My advice here is to embrace a funny Valentine’s Day gift if it feels right and you’re certain it’ll get a laugh, but don’t forget the romance and accompany it with some flowers.

Valentine’s night in ideas

Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to involve stressfully trying to plan a night out and secure a table in your favourite restaurant. Planning a night in can be incredibly rewarding and make for one of the best evenings of the year where it is just you and your loved one.

Valentine’s Day dinner

One of the biggest elements of getting your night in right is to plan your Valentine’s Day meal and there are no end of options here! If you are looking to cook for your other half then the typical approach will be to cook his or her favourite meal but make sure you don’t overlook your own tastes and favourite foods too – Valentine’s Day is after all for both of you.

The first step in cooking a flavour packed Valentine’s Day meal is to pick yourself up a decent recipe book that can help set out a full menu for the evening. Planning a starter, main and dessert should be front of mind accompanied by a bottle of your favourite bubbly.

Romantic Dinner for Two Recipes: Expressing Love in Delicious, Intimate Ways

When it comes to romantic dinner recipes there’s one book on my shelf which I head to every time – Romantic Dinner for Two Recipes: Expressing Love in Delicious, Intimate Ways.

Comprising of 30 recipes across pasta, meat, seafood and more there are plenty of options here to satisfy most tastes.

Buy on Amazon here

There are some fantastic romantic dinner recipes out there so head over to Amazon and see what best suits your style whether that be seafood, meat or vegetarian.

If cooking isn’t your strong point there are of course alternative ways to cook a more simple Valentine’s dinner – one pot recipes. This way of cooking won’t require you to work out timings, have multiple pans on the go or spend half your evening panicking in the kitchen. All that is required is to prepare your ingredients and drop everything in to one pot.

The Hairy Bikers’ One Pot Wonders

Written by the well known Hairy Bikers, Si King and Dave Myers, One Pot Wonders is a fantastic option for cooking a simple Valentine’s dinner.

There’s no need to juggle multiple pans, adjust cooking times or serve up a cold meal, just put everything in to a single pot and you’re sorted.

Packed with easy to make, flavour-packed recipes, this book is certainly my top choice this year.

Buy on Amazon here

Things to do on Valentine’s Day

Knowing what to do on Valentines’s Day can often feel quite overwhelming and pressured. It’s easy to get stuck in a mindset of trying to plan some big and extravagant day when the reality is that what you do doesn’t really matter so long as you do it together.

Valentine’s Day should be about taking the time to appreciate one another and that can be done at home or out and about. Here are a few pointers for the perfect things to do on Valentine’s Day this year. Just remember to put your phone down!

Romantic Walk

Dinner

Movie Night

Sex

adult beautiful blur bride

Romantic walk

Heading out and about for a romantic walk is a great way to spend some quality time together as it presents the perfect opportunity to reconnect and strike up some new conversations. Plan a new walking route or walk to your favourite spot, hold his/her hand and remember why you fell in love with them in the first place.

Valentine's Day meal

Romantic dinner

Dinner is of course one of the main parts of any Valentine’s Day and so you need to ensure you have given your meal the thought and consideration that it deserves. Consider how many courses you want to make and also whether you will focus the meal around a particular style of cuisine and it you want to create something complex or a s simple one-pot recipe.

Valentine's movie night

Movie night

Spending the evening curled up on the sofa together watching films is a great way to reconnect with your loved one. Plan this one ahead of time too though as we all know that you can easily kill an hour and test each other’s patience by scrolling endlessly through Netflix and Amazon Prime in an attempt to find something worth watching. Create yourself a shortlist and reduce any stress around selection the film to watch. And for goodness sake, leave your phones in a different room.

adult affection bed closeness

Sex

Now if you married or have taken this intimate step in your relationship, planning to have sex will likely be an obvious and exciting way to complete your Valentine’s Day evening. However be sure to take a few steps to make an evening of sex that little more special.

It may seem an obvious one but make sure you put on some fresh bedding and nightwear. Climbing in to a freshly made bed is always more appealing so don’t overlook this basic enhancement. Also be sure not to drink too much over dinner and allow plenty of time for hitting the sheets together to avoid being over-tired or losing the desire for sex.

If you want to add a little more fun to the night, take a romantic shower together first and buy some massage oil to explore each others bodies. And if you’re feeling especially saucy, buy something new from Lovehoney! Most importantly, have fun!

Valentine’s Day this year won’t be normal. But that’s not a bad thing. In these strange times be sure to make the most of the unique opportunity to have a day and night together without all of the usual rushing about. By all means take the time to make and effort to dress up nice for each other for the evening but just remember that this day is about both of you, not the gifts that you exchange. So, keep it simple this year and take the time to appreciate each other.

By Nick

Nick is the founder of Life of Man with a passion for trying out the latest technology, eating out at the best local restaurants, trying the latest IPAs hitting the craft beer scene travelling the world. As a parent Nick loves to spend time with his family and write about days out as dad blogger.

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