Today, We're Cupid's Helpers

It’s official: Valentine’s Day is coming soon, like, real soon. The countdown is on.

One of our core values is having each other’s back—and we have yours, too. We combined our powers to make sure you had a bunch of gift ideas that you can get at the last minute… and that you didn’t forget Valentine’s Day… again.

Here’s the list you didn’t know you needed, straight from our team members’ mouths (well, Slacks).

Where classics meet convenience

Don’t you know it, today is the day where everyone’s a poet! Surprise that special someone with a poem (written by you or from your friendly neighborhood AI bot—we won’t tell) to give to that special person in your life. Move over, Shakespeare.

Another day of sub-20 temperatures? Stop by your local department store and grab some snuggly sweats or fashionable joggers. Don't bother reserving a table at a restaurant (they've been booked for weeks). Light up the fire and make this gift about the Cozy Night In experience.

Are you a scent-imental person? You can never have too many candles. There are kits if you want to experiment at home or pick one up before the big day.

Fresh flowers are good for everyone—for your partner, your mom, or just to brighten up your own day. The best part? Many stores have a selection of flowers ripe for the picking (err, selecting… We don’t condone you plucking anything from the gardening section).

Love at first bite

It is possible, however, that people might’ve already hogged all of the pre-made floral arrangements. In that case, kick the bouquet idea up a notch and make your Valentine a bacon bouquet. You just need some thick-cut bacon, a bunch of fake roses, toothpicks, and the persistence to follow along with a DIY tutorial on YouTube.

If you want a real cheesy date night, start the evening off with the ultimate adult comfort food: a charcuterie board. Maybe you didn’t notice yet, but we have a lot of foodies on board. That means we got the hook-up with some pairings, but you gotta cut the cheese yourself… Wait, what?

Here are our team’s thoughts on putting together a charcuterie:

• Prosciutto, capicola, and salami are the holy trinity.
• Put some sort of jelly on top of a soft cheese to dip crackers in.
• Pair hard cheese like ibérico, cheddar, and manchego with red wine. Cheeses with fruity notes pair better with whites.
• Want to impress? Add a side of candied nuts, dried fruit, chutney, fun-sized pickles, olives, or a tomato salad.

To keep the savory train chugging full steam ahead, you can also prepare your Valentine a home-cooked meal. All it requires is a recipe pulled from Pinterest, the ingredients rounded up from a grocery store, double the preparation time, and half your level of expectations.

If you’re finding a gift for someone with a sweet tooth, a few answers that came up were a box of chocolates (Forrest Gump knows what he’s talking about), a collection of the person’s favorite treats, and ice cream. These are classics for a reason.

As you can see, a lot of us think with our stomachs first, but that doesn’t mean we don’t speak from the heart.

Put the art in heart

Is your Valentine not much of a foodie? No problem. Instead, you can spend your downtime these next couple of days getting crafty. Here are some ideas to get you started:

• They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so why not skip all the handwritten notes and print those images just sitting in your camera roll? Get a photo album and fill it with pictures from the past year. Bonus: This can be added to over time, which really means it’s an investment.
• Make a coupon book from construction paper. This doesn’t have to be limited to date nights, but can be experiences for your best friend or for your parents.
• Create a custom card with your very own artwork and leave a thoughtful message inside.

Think handwritten notes are so 2022? Level-up the idea of getting your Valentine a card by purchasing seven cards (thoughtful, goofy, NSFW—the possibilities are endless) and hide them all over the house with hints to their gifts. Think torn labels from chip bags, cryptic messages, etcetera. Everyone loves a good scavenger hunt!

Shoot your shot (or arrow)

Another core value of ours is taking action. We've done the research for you, so all you have to do is buy or make it, wrap it, present it, and... Okay, there's still some work left, but it's a start.

And if you’re looking for another way to set your V-Day off to a rockin’ start, check out this playlist we put together a couple years ago.

Happy 'Reminder that It's Almost Valentine's Day' Day!!