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Valentine’s Day is all about love, but it’s not just for lovers. Feb. 14 is an opportunity to celebrate the many special people in your life, from best friends to grandchildren — essentially, anyone and everyone you hold dear.
Spending quality time together is a wonderful way to acknowledge how much those individuals mean to you, but let’s be honest: Who doesn’t love giving and receiving presents? Read on for a list of Valentine’s Day gift ideas, ranging from the traditional chocolate and jewelry to tech-y gadgets, a scratch-off adventure book, and even a custom pillow with their pet’s face on it.
The Adventure Challenge Couples Edition
The Adventure Challenge for couples includes 50 memorable date ideas presented scratch-off lottery ticket-style in a keepsake book — an ideal guide to help you break out of your usual date night routine. It also includes space to write your reflections and add photos of your experiences. Need an instant camera? We like this one.
No matter how long you’ve known each other — a few months or several decades — there’s always more to uncover; sometimes we just need a little assistance to find new topics of conversation. Enter: TableTopics. Play it with your partner or friends and family to learn more about the people you love.
Tony’s Chocolonely Chocolate Bars
Tony’s Chocolonely is a Certified B Corporation on a mission to “change the chocolate industry from within,” particularly the amount of child labor and exploitation that takes place on cocoa farms, so you can feel good purchasing tasty treats like the “everything bar,” packed with pretzels, nougat, caramel, almonds, and flaky sea salt.
Why deliver a onetime valentine when this heartfelt treasure can keep the love flowing all year long? Perfect for keeping in touch with grandkids or for letting your sweetheart know you’re thinking of them, it features a red heart that spins to alert you when someone’s sent a photo, message, or drawing via the accompanying app.
Looking for a more playful way to bouquet? These bright blooms will never wilt, making them a wonderful — and beautiful — way to celebrate the flower lover in your life. Your recipient will have fun building the 12 roses and four sprigs of baby’s breath, and afterward, will get the added pleasure of finding the perfect spot to display their handiwork.
Another long-lasting option in lieu of fresh flowers is this gorgeous bouquet of air-dried, pink globe amaranths. The 50-60 stems are between 14 and 18 inches, and were naturally grown and hand-gathered on a small Washington state farm. Pair them with this white ceramic vase for an extra special presentation.
Offering timeless fine jewelry as well as chic, casual pieces, Mejuri has something for every person and every price range. Explore the company’s selection for $150 and under, featuring stacking rings, pretty pearl bracelets, mini hoop earrings, and more; you can also find rings, bracelets, and necklaces for men.
The Giving Keys is a Nice News staff favorite — Managing Editor Natalie Stone has two engraved key necklaces: One reads “Courage” and the other “Faith.” The brand’s new Valentine’s Day collection includes stunning pieces like a black enamel heart and a gold butterfly featuring the word “transform,” and a portion of profits go toward helping people transition out of homelessness and providing employment resources.
Philips Norelco Series 9000 Beard Trimmer
For precise beard and hair trimming, the man in your life needs the right tool — and this is the one. Self-sharpening steel blades and a Beard Sense Technology motor allow for a fast and close cut, while the zoom wheel provides 30 length settings, so he can create the exact look he wants. An hour of charge time provides 120 minutes of cordless use, and it’s 100% waterproof.
Backbone One Mobile Gaming Controller
This neat mobile controller lets your recipient transform their iPhone into a console for on-the-go gaming, complete with responsive analog triggers, tactile buttons, and clickable thumbsticks. It’s compatible with an array of apps, and the three models can be used to play the games they already have on Xbox, PlayStation, or PC.
The Fitbit Inspire is truly the Valentine’s Day gift that keeps on giving. This writer has one, and it’s helped her to make lasting health and lifestyle changes. Much more than just a step counter and heart rate monitor, the device tracks sleep and stress, includes 20-plus exercise modes for accurate workout breakdowns, displays call and text notifications, and more.
Sur La Table Date Night Cooking Classes
Everyone loves unwrapping presents, but experiences sometimes make the most memorable gifts. Furthermore, studies have pointed to the power that learning new things together has to strengthen relationships. Throw in some good food, and Sur La Table’s in-person, hands-on cooking classes are a win-win-win. Use the location tool to find a class near you.
Shopping for a whiskey aficionado? This cool kit will hone your recipient’s mixology skills and leave them with something tasty to sip. Handcrafted in the U.S., it comes with three types of oak chips, cinnamon, coffee beans, cocoa beans, orange peel, bird’s eye chili peppers, and chai tea mix for infusing. It also includes two glass bottles and six stainless steel whiskey stones for chilling, and the entire kit is 100% recyclable and plastic-free.
Here’s a Valentine’s Day gift that is guaranteed to make someone smile: custom pillows featuring you or your pet, so your loved one has a likeness to squeeze even when they’re in another room or traveling (Though these also make for adorable bedroom or living room decor). Choose a one-sided or double-sided print; they start at 8 inches and go up to 28 inches.
Any foodie will tell you how important a high-quality salt is for making flavors pop, and there are so many types out there besides the traditional iodized or kosher salt. This collection includes flaky sea salt (perfect for topping baked goods), lava salt, birch smoked salt, and arctic thyme salt, all hand-harvested from the westfjords of Iceland.
Lovepop’s pop-up cards serve as fun, surprising tokens of your love for someone, whether it’s a friend, family member, or partner. With a particular focus on pop culture, the brand has something for everyone — from Harry Potter fans to Disney diehards. We also love the new plushpop cards, which open to reveal a 3D plush character like this adorable bear.
What more heartfelt Valentine’s Day gift than your recipient’s loved ones smiling at them from a frame? With Aura digital frames, you don’t have to choose just one photo, or even a photo at all. Each frame can store over 10,000 images and videos, uploaded by anyone who has access, so they can scroll through an array of cherished memories every day.
Anthropologie Floral Night Gardenia Glass Jar Candle
Anthropologie’s wax candles are some of the best-smelling out there, in this writer’s humble opinion at least. The vessels are typically equally beautiful, and this pretty pink glass one is no exception. The scent is described as “a delicate breeze of fragrant gardenia, salted guava, and soft tonka nestled within an unexpected warm musk base,” and it comes in sizes XS to XL.
Get your loved one something cozy and cute to wear to bed with the help of LAKE Pajamas. The brand offers a wide selection of year-round options for the whole family, but we happen to love the Valentine’s Day styles, featuring sweet details like ruffles and tiny hearts.
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