In a few short days, we will celebrate the lovely holiday associated with heartfelt messages and short, fat arrow bearing cupids. The US Greeting Card Association (Google it!), estimates that nearly one billion valentines are sent throughout the world each year, making Valentine’s Day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year – behind Christmas, of course. And surprisingly, statistics show that women purchase approximately 85% of all valentines. Ahem!

I am a big fan of the holidays. All of them. I decorate for July 4th, Christmas, Halloween, Easter and Thanksgiving. I enjoy celebrating and I enjoy purchasing and giving gifts. Actually, I am like a little kid when it comes to giving gifts. When you marry someone who enjoys holidays, you are pretty much signing on for a lifetime of expectation and, well, a proverbial pain in the butt.

I love the whole gift thing and McDaddy pretty much knows that I expect gifts on those special days. That doesn’t mean he has to spend a butt-load of money. It just means that it is important to me that he make an effort.

For those of you who are looking for the perfect gift, this blog is for you. Keep in mind that this is my blog, which means it contains items that would excite me. Your significant other may enjoy other things, but, its a pretty safe bet that something on the list will interest her.

1. Jewelry is always nice. Especially, nice jewelry. There’s something about a gift in a little box that was chosen especially for you. Especially a little blue box from Tiffany & Co.

2. Or any other jewelry for that matter.

3. A massage is a great gift. And, if you’re feeling frisky, you can throw in an extra service, like a facial or a pedicure. And, the good thing about a massage is that YOU can actually give the massage, meaning it will cost you nothing. The massage should however, last longer than five minutes and should not come with any strings attached. (Ahem!)

4. & 5. Shoes and purses are always a safe bet. Nothing makes me happier than a new handbag, or a new pair of shoes. A woman and her purse become close friends. So, if you know her style, surprise her. Pick it out yourself.

6. I suppose if you are the type that loves to cook, this cookware from Rachael Ray would delight you. I like this particular cookware because it’s orange, and because it has nice gripper handles and because, you know, it would look great in my cabinets.

7. Remember earlier in this post I mentioned that the value of the gift is not nearly as important as the effort behind the gift? So, if none of these gifts seem to be within your budget, you may want to try one of these. They are free and they need to be done.

Empty the dishwasher.

Run the vacuum.

Give the kiddos a bath.

Do the laundry.

8.Or buy one of these handy suckers to do the work for her,

9. If the special gal in your life enjoys smelling good, perhaps you might look to Ralph Lauren and his peeps for some sweet smelling awesomeness. I wear Romance daily.

10. And speaking of sweet smelling awesomeness, how about some Yankee Candle Cranberry Chutney. My favorite scent.

11. And, if you, like me are getting older and appliances appeal to you, how about these beauties?

12. The greatest invention of my time is always a great gift choice,

13. And my number one wish? Um, no big surprise here. Its not real practical for a stay-at-mom-with-two-kids, but a girl can wish… and dream. In fact, I spend way more time thinking about this car than I should. I have never been a huge car fan, but, my love for this car has grown into a full blown affair. And, since I really LOVE this little ride, I would be remiss if I didn’t include it on this list.

If all else fails, love your mate, and take her on a date!

Happy “V” Day peeps!

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