Love? A special day to celebrate it? Why get excited about that? After all, it just keeps us going - individually and as a species. It just fills us with joy and makes life worth living. It just - Hmmmm… maybe there’s something to this after all. Reboot.

Valentine’s Day is for lovers. But love comes in all forms. A husband may love his wife. A daughter may love her mother. A young boy may adore his grandfather. Valentine’s Day is for all these relationships and many more.

Feeling love is one thing. Expressing it is another. Having one day out of the year to celebrate the glory that only love provides makes February 14th a unique holiday. Naturally, we could argue that it should be celebrated every day. And, in some ways, maybe we do. But picking one day focuses attention on that special event.

Express that by selecting just the right Valentine’s Day card. Find one that says exactly HOW you love that special someone. And, if it doesn’t, express it yourself either by making a card or writing some heartfelt comments in one you find.

Now, like love itself does, go beyond that small step. Give a gift that also shows how much you care. Sure, love is spiritual and it’s the emotions that count most. But how better to express those feelings than to put them into material form?

That material form can range over thousands of options.

Hire a maid for Mom for the day. Have someone clean Dad’s car. Call in a freelance chef to make a special dinner for the two of you on the evening of February 14th. Schedule a short cruise on a romantic trip to an island and back. Jump out of an airplane (with parachutes, of course), or float above the clouds in a hot air balloon.

Buy some flowers and chocolate, then shower that special someone with other things that remind you both of Valentine’s Day and its meaning. Pick out a gift basket that contains something that shows that you remember your special vacation together. A camera, a photo frame or a unique gem from the place you visited.

Now give the best gift of all: time. Spend time together on Valentine’s Day. Set aside the cares and plans that occupy you the rest of the year. Today, only one thing counts: being together. Say what you really mean. Mean what you say. Tell that person that life is better because that special someone is in your life.

If love is special, if it really is the great thing so many make it out to be - and isn’t the evidence overwhelming? - celebrate Valentine’s Day. Celebrate your way, with that unique person who shows you why love is everything it is.

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A Valentine’s Day gift doesn’t have to be an object. Though they’re always welcome. It can just as well be a great new experience. When the experience is shared it’s even better.

Hot air balloon rides, for example, are a popular idea. They combine all the excitement of lighter than air travel with color, drama and shared joy. Within an hour or so of many large population areas there are businesses that will offer a half-hour or hour long ride, sometimes longer.

Participants get a very short talk about safety, then the trip begins. A sunny day with puffy clouds provides the perfect opportunity to see nearby mountains, forests and the city in the distance. In some areas that trip can be wintery cold. But in many it will just be the normal cool associated with being high over the Earth.

A car rental is another good idea for a Valentine’s Day gift, rather than something to have. What? How boring is that? No, no. Not just any car rental… a very special car.

Take your pick. It could be a Ferrari, if you have a place to stretch it out. Or, it could be an elegant Bentley Azure. Sure, they’re pricey, even by the day. But a Valentine’s Day gift like this is going to be remembered for a long time.

Cruise down the highway, or slide through town. Drive up to pick up your Valentine’s Day date in a beautiful automobile and you’ll start it off on a high note that only gets better.

Speaking of cruises…. Need something longer, bigger? Go for a ship cruise.

For those who have the time and funds, there are a thousand two-week to month-long (or more) cruises to choose from. From New York to the south of France is a popular route. If you’re already in Europe, try one of the Scandinavian trips, weather permitting.

But, it could be just a day long excursion from San Francisco to San Diego or Cabo. It could be a gentle glide from Boston to Miami. Or, you could take a 4-day cruise to Alaska or the Caribbean. After all, just because Valentine’s Day only lasts 24 hours, there’s no law that says the gift must be limited to that.

Want something that will really get the heart pumping? And isn’t that what Valentine’s Day is all about?! Try a parachute jump. Singly or as a couple, you can take a one to two hour drive and be right at the airport. They teach you all you need to know. Depending on the kind of jump, instruction may be a few hours or only an hour. Then it’s up into the sky - and very quickly back down again. That’s the kind of gift that is remembered long after the chocolates are gone.

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Yes, the cliché in that title is among the oldest, and most mundane, literary efforts. But the tradition behind it is as fresh and good as ever. Chocolates and other delightful goodies are both symbolic and highly delicious. In moderation, they can even be healthy. A gift doesn’t get any better than that.

The main value is, of course, that chocolate tastes great. And there should be no guilt attached to enjoying oneself. After all, Valentine’s Day only comes once per year. And, somehow, sweet gifts have a tendency to be consumed by more than just the recipient.

To get even higher on the health bandwagon, consider some fruit. Strawberries are tasty, healthy and fit right in with the Valentine’s Day theme. They’re red and often associated with sensual delights. They can be shared, too. Not a bad idea for a Valentine’s Day gift.

But don’t just give a bunch of fruit in a bowl. Dress it up in the form of a gift basket. Combine it with some flowers or chocolates or both. Expand the gift basket to include a stuffed animal and you’re guaranteed to be a hit.

Beyond the delight they bring to the sense of taste and the stimulation to brain centers, sweets are stylish. It might be an offering from a Dessert of the Month Club designed especially for Valentine’s Day. Or, it could be confection whipped up from gourmet caramel and chocolate that smother a tasty apple.

The style may inhere as much in the container as the sweets themselves. A box of chocolates might contain a traditional selection of pieces. But the box doesn’t have to be just the usual plain big red heart. It can be delicately decorated with fine white lace. Or, sweets can rest in a basket handwoven in Peru and made from local plant fibers found nowhere else in the world.

Have you ever seen a bouquet that was made of fine truffles rather than delicate roses? A few clicks and there you are. If you’re searching for something slightly different, that’s your ticket. Maybe your loved one prefers cookies. Get a tin that resembles the kind Great Great Grandma would have used in 1908. Who says you can’t combine a delicious gift with nostalgia? After all, Valentine’s Day is about nothing if not sentiment.

In fact, that Valentine’s Day gift might actually be FOR grandma. Valentine’s Day gifts are given by everyone to everyone else these days. Even the traditional maternal figure will appreciate the love that went into choosing a modern delicious array of fudge.

Trying to think of something for that mate who is great? Go for the candy bouquet. Sure, it isn’t real flowers. Though, those can be included, too. But this gift gives you a chance to give something truly unique. Your sentiment can be imprinted on the card, while the candies can be selected for individual preference.

Sweet, stylish, sentimental… How many chances do you get to give a gift like that?

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Valentine’s Day is celebrated by almost everyone. Yet it remains the most personal holiday. Valentine’s Day is still strongly oriented toward those we love. Sometimes we might give a card or small gift to a casual friend. But the holiday is geared to those closest to our hearts. One of the best ways to express that is to give a gift personalized for that special individual.

Fortunately, there are a 101 different ways to do that without breaking a sweat.

Pillowcases are a delightful way to show affection for that person you sleep with. Go beyond ‘His and Hers’ and have that loved one’s name stitched or embossed onto a set of pillowcases. Speaking of ‘His and Hers’, towels can also be a great way to do the same thing.

Jewelry gives another excellent opportunity to personalize a gift for a male or female. A locket with a photo is traditional, as is an inscription with a name and special phrase. But jewelry can be personalized in a number of ways. Birthstones are just one example. Each birth month is associated with a particular mineral, such as topaz or amethyst. Beauty and individuality go together well.

Extend that idea to include any small personal item worn. Watches are a foolproof chance to inscribe a name and phrase that is meaningful to both giver and recipient. Both the case and the strap give plenty of room to etch or stitch, and they can include birthstones as well.

What better way to remind him or her of her or him than a photo? But don’t just send a jpeg or a glossy paper photo with a few words attached. Get a beautiful frame and personalize it. A traditional wood frame can be lovely. But today you can go beyond that and include computerized electronics in the frame itself. That combines the best of both worlds.

With an electronic frame you can have a phrase of your own devising display at certain times of the day. Or, you can get a photo holder that has the ability to download different pictures. They can show that special Valentine’s Day vacation you shared.

Everyone likes to play games and there are lots of ways to personalize even the most popular, like Monopoly. Have a custom made board that includes your favorite photos! But other games offer an equally interesting way to personalize a Valentine’s Day gift. How about a set of golf clubs and bag that show clearly who is their owner? A basketball with a Michael Jordan autograph would be worth money. But one written with his or her name will be worth a lot in a different kind of coin: the currency of love.

Stuffed animals make for great Valentine’s Day gifts for that special someone. Personalize it by having it custom made to resemble the giver. It can be dressed with a unique tie or those funky shoes that only they wear. Be sure to have a name stitched on or embossed to complete the package.

Be creative and give your gift some thought. You’ll quickly discover there are 101 ways to personalize it. The gift will show that it could only have come from that unique person, and only been given to the equally unique one they’re with.

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Gifts are great. But they’re incomplete without that all important Valentine’s Day card. Yet, sometimes, what you want to say just isn’t available in printed or electronic form. Don’t despair! Make your own.

Sure, you’re not a poet. But you don’t have to invent your own rhymes to make your own card. You can freely borrow the long and worthy words of Wadsworth Longfellow or the telling phrases of Tennyson. The pros do, all the time.

And don’t be put off by the fact that you might not be the world’s greatest graphic artist. Here again, the commercial card makers often buy and borrow. These are options if you don’t happen to have the artist’s gift yourself.

Computer graphics programs can easily help you do both. You can select phrases from a billion different sources online. Then combine them with photos or drawings from almost as many places. With only a modest effort you can create a card that looks just as you want, and says just what you mean. Don’t have a color laser printer? Not to worry. Take or send your file to a business that will print it out for you.

But maybe you do have at least a little bit of artistic talent. Or, a willingness to make the effort, at least. That might well produce a very fine result. After all, the recipient is rarely going to judge the card, so much as the sentiment. ‘A for effort’ still means a lot.

So, gather together those materials and get started.

Colored card stock is item #1. You can go for a plain, colored base in traditional red. Or, you can expand your creative horizons and buy card stock that has a pre-printed design. It could be simply an abundance of hearts or flowers. Or, it could portray just the mood you want to evoke. There’s no end of choices available.

Now, get out your pen and pencil set.

Maybe you want to make an elegant drawing. Or, you could just stencil on some well chosen words. The options range from nothing more than signing your name in a lush ink scrolling font to decorating the entire card.

But hand drawing or printing text isn’t for everyone. Sometimes, we need a little assistance.

Templates, photos and more will help flesh out that card. A little bit of non-bleeding glue dots or spray adhesive will help here. Scrapbookers know all the tricks of the trade, so seek out some advice from those who maintain one. They’ll point you to just the right chalks, rub-ons, photo corners and more to create that perfect card.

Most of all, remember the whole idea of making your own card: to express the unique relationship between you and your Valentine. That’s only possible when your card shows them the unique feelings you have for that special person.

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