With my love language being gift-giving, my favorite time of the year is the holidays or special dates, like my boyfriend’s birthday. Whether it’s Christmas or anniversary gifts, I spend hours perfecting every gift. I consider myself a good gift-giver but every now and then there’s a gift I’m not so proud of. In honor of Valentine’s Day, I decided to rate past gifts that I have given my boyfriend:
Valentine’s Day 2019 – 10/10
This was our first Valentine’s Day together as a couple so I decided to show off my cooking skills and made grilled chicken cheesy baked potato casserole, my boyfriend’s now all-time favorite. I also got him his favorite video game Madden, clothes, chocolate, and a cute little keychain that said “Drive Safe. I need you here with me.” My mom said I was doing way too much since it was early in our relationship but to this day it is one of my favorite gifts I’ve given him.
Final Verdict: I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this too early into the relationship (we had been together almost a year at this point) but my biggest takeaway from this gift was to not be intimidated from getting gifts that you might not know a lot about, especially if it is something your partner really likes.
Valentine’s Day Picnic 2021 – 5/10
For this Valentine’s Day I played into my boyfriend’s love language and made my gift centered around quality time. I planned out a date and cooked another one of his favorite meals, chicken alfredo, with some oreo stuffed chocolate chip cookies. We went to one of the scenic parts in the city where I’m from and ate our dinner while we sat and talked. Although my boyfriend enjoyed the date, it was a cold day so our food got cold within minutes and I couldn’t stop shivering, so we went home pretty quickly after we finished the food.
Final Verdict: It is good to pay attention to what your partner likes and to try to implement that into your gift but make sure that you take external factors into consideration such as weather and timing.
Valentine’s Day 2022 – 1000/10
This year for Valentine’s Day my boyfriend and I decided that we were not going to give each other gifts (shockingly). Since my boyfriend and I are in a long-distance relationship, he makes it a priority to visit me once a month (his love language is quality time). I must admit with gift-giving being my primary love language, I wasn’t too sure how this would play out but contrary to my previous beliefs it turned out to be one of the best holidays together to date.
Final Verdict: Sometimes it is good to go against the norm and try something new. If you or your partner enjoy quality time or physical touch, this type of non-gift gift can really help bring you and your partner closer.