5 original gift ideas to help personalize your Valentine's Day

Face it, giving chocolate and roses is getting a little cliché.

Valentine’s Day is a lot like Hawaiian pizza: either you like it or you don’t.  And sometimes even people who are really into Valentine’s Day are short on ideas for new ways to touch the love of their life.

So how do you get past those old clichés? Our solution… personalize the event! Giving a tailor-made gift that fits with the interests and personality of your loved one is a great way to express all the reasons why that person is so special to you.

Here are 5 tailor-made gift ideas to inspire you!

1. A mixtape
Even if cassette tapes are long gone, the concept of a mixtape continues to be a winner. You can create a playlist on a livestreaming site or load all the songs onto a gift-wrapped USB stick: either way it makes a unique gift.  What songs do you choose? Your favourite songs, your loved one’s favourite songs, songs that speak to your love, that special track that’s “your song”… anything that suits the occasion really.

2. Have a theme day
Is your sweetheart a South America buff? Put on a South America theme day! Salsa lessons, a Brazilian art exhibit, dinner in a Chilean restaurant, etc. It’ll be a Valentine’s Day you’ll both remember. 

3. A photo album
Gather your best couple and vacation photos and create a mini-souvenir album. To print it, just visit your local pharmacy. There are also a bunch of companies that will print a photo selection from your Instagram account. 

4. Fortune cookies… made out of paper!
Here’s a little DIY trick that’s easy to do and is sure to make your sweetheart smile! Write down those sweet nothings (or any adorable message) in these paper fortune cookies. Your better half can unwrap them whenever the mood strikes them: one a day, or all at one sitting! 
Click here for instructions!

5. A romantic dinner
Sometimes, the best gift of all is simply spending some time with the love of your life to show them how precious they are to you. An evening of cocooning for two is always a winner! Prepare a delicious meal, get into your cozy clothes and snuggle up with a movie. 

For meal ideas, see our recipes here.