It’s the thought that counts
VALENTINE’S DAY: MAKE THE EFFORT TO CREATE A GIFTING ADVENTURE THAT’S ABOUT SENTIMENT The meaning of the celebration should be in the intention behind the gesture.
Love is in the air, in your bank account and everyone hopes that this time of year the only breakup would be because of the aftermath between you, and your credit card. Love, sexy and hanky panky can be an expensive exercise and while some see it as an investment into another year of romance, the opportunity cost should not be too extreme.
Valentine’s Day is historically rooted in both Christian and ancient Roman traditions, it has evolved over the centuries from a day of feasts honouring Saint Valentinus to a global celebration of love and companionship.
It’s a day when lovers, friends, and family express their affection through gestures both grand and modest. Flowers, chocolates, a teddy bear, or huggable plush heart, an “I Love You” mug for the office… these are all stock standard gifting for the day along with, of course, some jewellery and lingerie. And along with the sentiment, a bill that could rack up to a few thousand rand after tallying up the cost of wining and dining and gifting.
Yet it should be the thought that counts.
While the commercial aspect of the day often emphasises the value and grandeur of gifts, the meaning of the celebration should be in the intention and sentiment behind the gesture. When choosing a gift that’s beyond the Valentine’s display table in a shop and that resonates with the recipient’s personality, interests, and desires can convey feelings that words alone may fail to express. It can also be much more affordable when paired with effort and putting time and thought into every aspect of the day. The benefit: saving money while not taking the prefabricated and easy way out. Materialism is so yesterday, anyway.
This year, time could be a gift. It costs nothing but there is no greater indication of love than giving up a commodity that you can never get back.
Home cooked breakfast in bed, have flowers delivered or present your lover with a bunch when they wake up. Pack a lunch box of delicious snacks for work or go home early and whip up a storm in the kitchen and create a romantic dinner for two in your dining room. Otherwise, prepare a picnic basket and turn a traditional dinner into a long and lazy afternoon chilling and sipping bubbly in one of the many parks.
Affordable gifts are everywhere, just look hard enough. And mixing and matching a lucky packet of smaller gifts to explore and enjoy could be a fantastic alternative to an overly grand and expensive gesture.
There are some super cute mugs with sweet messages instore right now which will set you back less than R100, while his and hers keyrings couple up at around R150 from gifting stores.
There are even keyrings that intertwine, as loves do, for well under R200.
Baking together can be a fun activity and quite sensual with the right ingredients.
Gift sets start from as little as R79 at stores or you can assemble a set, and ingredients, based on a recipe that you can bake together.
Teddy bears and plush toys remain a stock standard for Valentine gifting, and you can pick up a little love bear in a mug from around R140 through to a more substantial teddy at almost R800 in some stores.
Jewellery also does not have to put financial pain before joy.
At costume jewellery stores you can pick up a locket, with space for both your pictures, at less than R250, while socks, for him and her, start from around R100 a pair. There are also chains and necklaces for around the same price, all detailed with hearts and symbols of love.
T-shirts with lovey dover slogans or pyjamas featuring similar are available at most fashion retailers for less than R250. There are also self-care kits available for some at-home indulgence that can be ribboned-up and shared for under R300. Fun guys’ boxers can be picked up at department stores from around R230 and for something kinkier, see through mesh men’s undies go for less than R50 a pop. For her, online lingerie stores offer several super sexy bits for less than R300 or, alternatively for something more fun and cuter, a set of cuddly panties decorated with hearts or flowers can be picked up for even less. All Valentine’s gifting requires is a bit of effort, and not last-minute dot come, because that approach simply results in giving a cliché.
Take time, make the effort, and create a gifting adventure that’s more about sentiment than it is about cash. That’s the way to really steal a heart and save your own back pocket.