Sweet Tips For A Special Valentine’s Day

Written by Sydney Ann Patterson
Photography by Lori Anthony

kay, it’s Valentine’s Day – Again. Some of you are thinking, “Yippee, this is the greatest, most romantic, super special day of the year!” The rest of you are thinking, “Oh joy, what am I going to do, and how much do I have to spend to get the ‘points’ for V-Day 2005?”

Let’s face it. Valentine’s Day is primarily for women. And if men do their jobs right, well, they usually come out pretty happy in the end too. Guys, think about it, for the last several months your special someone has endured countless Saturday and Sunday afternoons, Monday nights and occasional Thursday and Friday nights of you and your buddies watching IT. You know what I’m talking about, FOOTBALL, You may be thinking, “Well, she likes to watch the game as much as I do.” If that’s true, CONGRATS on a great pick! But after serving more than her fair share of hot dogs, burgers, bean dip and beer, then cleaning it up, I can promise you that she’s ready for a little pampering. And even if she was conveniently absent for the football festivities, pampering still goes a long way.

Ladies, your job is fairly easy. Get all gussied up. Even if you’re staying in for the night, put in extra effort to look your best. It is the least you can do to show him how much you love him. Be sweet, smell great, and wear something cute, really cute. ‘Cute’ probably isn’t the right word; you want to look Hot, hotter than usual, for your man. Wear the sexy heals, show a little skin. By a little, I mean just that. Just enough skin to engage the senses but not so much that there isn’t a lot left to look forward to.

Calling All Men. Married, engaged, dating, whatever – it’s time for you step up and do something special for your favorite gal. There is no need to fret about what you’re going to do or how cheesy you feel doing it. Remember, Valentine’s Day is probably the cheesiest holiday of the year. Being called the “King Velveeta” on this day, and this day only, isn’t such a bad thing. Relax. You don’t have to spend loads of money to make this Valentine’s the best she’s ever had. The best thing you can do is to make a plan! Start thinking about what you’ll do at least a few days ahead. It’s the “little things” that count. Here are a few ideas to make this year’s Valentine’s Day very special.

– Warm up her car in the morning.

– Tell her you love her before leaving.

– When she gets home from work, have a bubble bath waiting for her. Go ahead and be cheesy, do the whole rose petal path thing leading to the bath or wherever else may be appropriate.

– Make her dinner or bring something home. Set the table. Really deck it out! Use nice dishes and silverware (no paper products!), cloth napkins, light the candles, and pick some flowers for a centerpiece. Get a great bottle of wine and serve her, serve her, serve her! Make sure she doesn’t have to clean it up. HINT: A huge reason women like to dine out – no clean up! After dinner have a great dessert or after dinner drink. A Chocolate Martini is easy to do. Mix cocoa and powdered sugar to go around the rim and put a Hershey’s kiss in the bottom or garnish it with shaved chocolate.

– After dinner, relax and take some time to talk. Yes, talk. Women love to talk. They love it even more when the men in their lives listen to them, really listen. Fellas, if she’s a stay at home mom she is craving adult conversation and taking the time to talk and to listen counts for TRIPLE points.

– If you have kids, get them involved. They can help serve mom breakfast in bed. Maybe heart shaped pancakes with strawberries and coffee with a dollop of whipped cream on top.

– Put a sweet “I Love You” note in her purse to find later on during the day. Attach a drawing from the kids.

– Fix the kids’ school lunches so she doesn’t have to.

– Take photos of the kids and/or photos of the kids and you. Frame them or put them in an album. Hint: Women love pictures, especially of their kids.

– Arrange for the kids to stay at a friend’s house that night or call a babysitter.

– Get her a Valentine’s Day card. Hint: Women love greeting cards! They love giving them and they love receiving them. Surprise her sometime with a cute, sweet or funny card for no apparent reason and she’ll go nuts, in a good way. It’s all about the “little things”.

– Dinner out is easy. So if you choose this route make sure it’s her favorite place or someplace she’s been dying to try. Plan ahead. Make reservations, have a bottle of champagne chilled and waiting at the table. If dancing is in the plan, perhaps you can make arrangements for the band to play “your song”.

– Flowers and chocolate are typical Valentine’s Day treats. But instead of a bouquet of roses, get her a beautiful flowering plant that she can enjoy all year long. I would recommend an Orchid. As far as chocolate, its quality not quantity that counts. A couple of really delicious, gourmet chocolates are a lot better than a big box of candies with a 6 month or more shelf life.

– Pamper her with a gift certificate to a spa. She can get a massage, a facial, a manicure, a pedicure or any number of services all of which will make her feel fabulous. This is a terrific gift to give the expectant mom; she can use it whenever she needs it most!

– If you’re thinking jewelry, she’ll be thinking Whoo-hoo!! Hopefully you have paid attention to her likes and dislikes. Look at the jewelry she wears most often to get a better sense of her style. Enlist the help of her best friend to go with you to the store. Try your hardest not to go on Valentine’s Day; the pickings may be slim and you might end up dropping some big bucks on something that will sit in her jewelry box, collecting dust. Hint: When a woman bends down the top corner of a page and circles, or highlights an item in a catalog, this usually means she likes it, she loves it and she’d really like to have it!

– If you’re planning on popping the question, make it Extra, Extra Special!!! She will remember every detail, no matter how seemingly insignificant. The first question her friends will ask, after checking out the ring of course, will be, “How did he do it?” She will remember what you were wearing, what you smelled like, how much you were shaking, and every word that comes from your mouth. The more people you can involve the more intricate your planning will seem. Don’t be afraid to ask for assistance. Most people are suckers for romance and will be thrilled to help out.

– Men won’t be the only ones putting forth any effort on Valentine’s Day. Women, naturally, are nurturers. Doing “little something’s” often comes much easier to them. There is no doubt that all of you ladies out there will most likely do something special for him besides looking fantastic. You’ll get him a funny, maybe even a kinky card. You might make his favorite dessert. Maybe, you’ll get him a cool new gadget. The possibilities are endless and you are sure to please. No matter what, be sure to praise his efforts, tell him how much you appreciate and love everything. Remember, the more acknowledgements and thanksgiving a man receives, the more valuable he feels and the more he wants to please. Even if dinner isn’t even close to delicious, if the restaurant is full or if he forgot to make reservations, if he locks his keys in his car or leaves the lights on and the battery goes dead, whatever - Be supportive, be encouraging; show him how much you appreciate him, and how much you love him. So ladies, be beautiful, be sweet, smell wonderful and put your very best mood forward!

Happy Valentine’s Day 2005 and get ready for Baseball Season.