Love Means Never Having To Buy Them Roses

I should apologize, dear readers, for shirking my responsibility and leaving my blog at the bottom of my priority list for too long. My life has been busy but I should not let all of that get in the way of sharing with you.
BUT, the good news is that I have a few things stored up for you all regarding the upcoming (though totally fabricated) holiday....Saint Valentine's Day.

Now, please don't get me wrong, I love love love the holiday that's all about love love love.
My only concern is that people get in trouble trying to top their last year's event by making the declaration of their love too involved, too fancy and too little about what they truly feel.

In these days of financial difficulty, why not put in a little thought and a little effort to make your offering about tenderness, love and your individual feeling for your beloved rather than buying a bouquet of  over priced (just for the day) roses and being done with it?
Believe me, I'm not asking you to break the bank or even spend weeks preparing gifts or special meals - unless you want to do that...then I say, have at it and reap the rewards that will surely come your way.

No. I am going to share some ideas that have always landed me in the "I can't believe you are so amazingly thoughtful" seat and that's a really nice place to be.

First, the easiest.
The Love Letter. Now I know we all can't write sonnets and other poems without feeling and/or sounding like an ass. But try this - Find a nice card - either fine stationery or a simple but elegant greeting card - it doesn't even have to be a Valentine, per se - preferably blank inside.
On a piece of scrap paper, decide what you want to write. Be concise. Simple. A simple "I Love You" will work if inspiration fails you.
Date the inside of the card simply Valentine's Day 2011 and say what's in your heart. If you want to write a poem, go for it. If you're moved by somebody else's poetry, quote it and MAKE SURE to attribute the quote!
Make sure to write legibly and cleanly. Then, before you put it in the envelope, try to find a photograph of the two of you from a day that you both really enjoyed yourselves and remember fondly and add that to the envelope before you seal it.
If you can't find a photo like that, remember where you had your first date or your first kiss or asked them to marry you and go THERE and take a picture of the PLACE. It will mean so much.

My next installment will be a menu, and recipes, for the perfect, easy and impressive restaurant quality meal to make for your beloved. Come back and see!

HowmanytimesdoIhavetotellyoukidsnottoshakethepresents?!?!

It's OK. These days there are so many of us that do the prudent thing and get our friends and loved ones gift cards so that they can choose something that they have had their heart set on having.

Pros? Well, it IS easier and we all like to be happiness enablers now and again. And the recipient doesn't have to worry that their gift from you will totally suck, But the cons, for me, really outweigh the pros in this situation.

Those cons? When have you ever seen a child jump up and down and scream, "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you for the Target gift card. It's just what I've always wanted!!!"?

I don't know. I just get a kick out of planning the perfect gift. Something that says that I puzzled long and hard about the person and when I saw this perfect something I thought of them and realized that they would feel that special little tug of our friendship/love/respect/generosity every time they looked/thought of/used that particular item.

Sure, convenience is great but not personal and personal isn't always great or convenient but I have, over the years, learned my lesson when it comes to that saying that 'it's better to give than to receive'.
It's SO true....at least for me. For even as I start to unwrap and open a gift from someone special, it seems that all I can think about is how wonderful I hope my gift to them is going to make them feel.

So this season, sure....go ahead and give me beautifully wrapped boxes filled with cash or fantastical plastic cards with the promise of excitement and shopping joy and, trust me, I will love your gift and not think anything less of the thought that went into it - I'm admittedly tough to shop for - but don't be shocked when you open a gift from me that is surprisingly apropos for you and you alone. That's one of the ways that I am fortunate enough to be able to tell you how much I care.

I hope you're all in the midst of a great holiday season!

-SSG