When most think of gift giving on Valentine’s day, what comes to mind is typically what a man is going to get to show his love and appreciation for a woman. It’s a day of heavy marketing, sold-out florists, and celebrity engagements on the news.

However, love and romance is a two-way street, at least we all hope it to be, and there are still an abundance of women who feel the desire to find the perfect gift for their man on February 14th each year.

With Valentine’s day coming so soon after Christmas, and women not having the obvious choices like heart-shaped boxes of chocolates and a dozen long stem roses, there is usually a little more thought involved in the gift giving, decision-making process.

Or is there?

Just like Christmas, a Valentines day gift for him should come from the heart. The only real difference is that on February 14th, this particular gift should encapsulate your love for him and shine with a romantic beam. Keep in mind that sometimes it’s the way you present the gift that will spark the romanticism of the day as opposed to the gift itself.

Add a magic touch

When you are choosing a Valentine’s gift for him this year, give the following some thought and maybe add your own little personal touch to them.

For instance, are you always getting him to run errands for the smallest things? Why not insist that he goes to the grocery store for tampons right this second (as soon as he wakes up), but when he opens the car door he sees a note telling him to come back upstairs for a gift (and thanks for being a great guy!)

If you have this frame of mind when choosing a gift for him, then the possibilities of what to get him are really endless. Remember, it is about the thought, imagination, and you making him feel special on Valentine’s day, not the actual material things.

Without question, one of the best days of a woman’s life is when she is proposed to by the man she loves. For the man, it’s often a stressful thing to think about to be sure he goes about it the right way and makes everything perfect for her and memorable.

Valentine’s day is a romantic time to ask the love of your life to marry you, and here’s a few ways to make it even more special:

1. The Getaway. If you’re girlfriend loves spontaneity and taking trips, then proposing during a weekend getaway is a sure bet, especially if Valentine’s Day falls on a Saturday or Sunday. The great part about this is that you can make it all about a Valentine’s day gift and not bring up a suspicions of a possible proposal. If it’s possible in your relationship, don’t tell her until the last minute, that day even.

However, you will have to have quite a few things already planned (tickets, hotel, possibly bags packed). If you have trouble with these sorts of things, try enlisting a trusted friend of hers to help you plan it out.

2. The Family Surprise. Why not propose in front of her whole family. This one depends on if your girlfriend is the traditional type and also how well you and her get along with her side of the family.  You will likely need at least one family members in on this with you to help you gather a family reunion (party, dinner, etc.) and invite her to come on a specific date.

Not everyone has to know, but it will probably work out better if they do. This way, you can designate a specific time that you will propose so that everyone knows to be in the room. You might want to even have a signal like a particular song, or have someone say something that is the code.

This one is great for those who would like to get it on film without ruining the element of surprise, since it wouldn’t be odd for cameras to be rolling at a family reunion.

3. Steal From The Movies. But not just any movie. The majority of women have at least one chick flick that turns on the water works because of a romantic proposal somewhere in the film. So, what you could do is re-enact that scene. If you’re unsure of what that movie is, then set it up first by finding out the sneaky way.  Tell her that you want to do a chick flick marathon with her for Valentine’s day and that you want to buy her a few of her favorites.

Make sure you get a list of 5 or 6 or more to choose from so you can be sure to get one with a proposal in it. Also, be sure to work this in with ample time to set up the proposal on Valentine’s day.