As it gets closer to Valentine’s Day, your class notes are starting to look more and more like a brainstorm of potential gifts that you can get your Valentine for that special day. You want to be romantic and thoughtful but not too cliché. Stuck? Here are some creative Valentine’s Day gifts that are even sweeter than the box of chocolates he’s probably going to get you.
1. Let him be a model for the day
If your guy loves the camera, Valentine’s day is the perfect excuse to hire a professional photographer to shoot couples photos.
If you can’t afford a professional, ask around your campus, or look on Craigslist, to see if there are any student photographers who are willing to do it for free or at a discounted price. Ask to see portfolios—you’ll be amazed at how talented some amateur photographers can be.
Make it a fun day, posing at places that hold special memories of your relationship (in his car where you had your first kiss, or the park where you had a picnic for your birthday). It can be as romantic, serious or silly as you want. You can even recreate iconic photos of famous couples, such as Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt in Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Bonnie and Clyde on the run, John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s nonviolent protest, or Kate Middleton and Prince William’s wedding, to name a few.
2. Get cartoonified
If you like the idea of couples pictures but want something different, how about a caricature of you and your guy? It will be cute to see the two of you in cartoon form. You don’t even have to be present while it is being drawn, just provide the artist with a photo of the two of you (you might have to send more than one) so that he or she can work on it ahead of time.
Search to see if there are any caricature artists in your area. If there aren’t any, many artists are willing to take orders from across the country and even internationally, so check their websites. [can you link to some?]
3. Put together a special presentation
Tell him how much he means to you in the form of an online presentation (kind of like an online scrapbook). It can include videos (either of the two of you together, or of you speaking to directly him), pictures of good times, your song and special messages filled with memories. When you’ve put it all together, sit him down and present it to him. You can also do this in PowerPoint form or on Prezi.
If you have more time to spend, you can do it in the form of a website. When presenting it to him, simply drop the link on his Facebook wall if you want to make it public, or send it to him privately.
4. Take him on a trip (without actually going anywhere)
His dream vacation might be expensive and far away, so why not bring his desired destination to him? Get creative! If he wants to visit France, set your room up like a little Parisian café and create menus in French! If he’s pining for a day in Puerto Vallarta sun, serve some Mexican food and decorate the place like a Mexican resort. If he wants to stroll through Rome, have some Italian music playing in the background before you pop in a Rome-centric movie (“To Rome With Love,” anyone?). It might not be the real thing, but he’ll appreciate the thought and effort. Plus, there’s nowhere your imagination can’t take you.
