I'm a romantic at heart and each year (now going on 18 with my wife) I always try to come up with something original. Of course each year I do this I raise the bar. Now I'm starting to sweat! ;-) Not really!

No problem though, all I have to do is a little mental trick that's always worked for me. Before I go to bed, I make clear what it is I want in my head, I go to bed and the next morning, ZING, I have a new idea.

Now don't get me wrong. Everyday gifts such as cards, valentines gifts like valentines gift baskets, roses and a romantic dinner out is always appreciated by your spouses. But why not hike it up a notch? And you can steal one of my 7 great ideas... and don't worry, I won't tell him/her. It'll be our little secret.

Here goes...

7 Original Valentines Day Gift Ideas

1. If your spouse enjoys romance novels, just Google for "personalized romance novel" I did this one about 7 years ago. We read the novel together....mmmm.... fun.
2. Everyone's use to getting coupons in the mail. Here's a twist. Think about the "little nothings" that your spouse enjoys. Things like a back rub, drawing him/her a bath, putting the kids down, making her coffee in the morning. Get a good list of 10-15 things, fire up MS Word or whatever you have on hand and create coupons. Then print them off on red or valentine paper, cut them out, staple together and give them to your partner for Valentines Day. This was one of my wife's all-time favorites.

3. This one's especially for the guys. Take the initiative to set up child care and then, like a limo driver, drive your spouse first to the spa, where she'll get a full body massage, followed with a facial. Next stop is one of her favorite clothing stores. That's right, you're going to watch her try on clothes and lovingly cherish her when she comes out to show off. Final stop is a romantic dinner (dont' forget to make reservations!)
4. Valentine Treasure Hunt - For this one you start your spouse out with a little clue, which leads to the next and so on. There can be little celebrations along the way. Once when I did this for my wife, one of her clues was sitting at the bottom of a bowl of her favorite ice cream in the freezer. She had to eat it to get on with the treasure hunt. That year we finished with her finding an opal ring in a new pair of shoes.
5. "Remember When..." - This one is as fun to do as to give. Simply take some time, open up MS Word and begin to reminisce about some of your favorite times together. Type as many of these memories as you can. Print them out on Valentine gift paper and put into a card. Then take an evening together, revisiting all those great ol' memories.
6. Make your own customized Valentines Day Gift Basket. Once my wife made me a cigar gift basket. What a great gift that was... full of my favorite cigars, a new cigar cutter, a copy of Cigar Aficionado, along with some wood matches for the perfectly lit cigar. The idea here is to think along a theme!
7. Take a few moments and write down loving adjectives which describe your sweetheart. One year my wife did this for me, printed them in different font styles and sizes on expensive parchment and then framed it for me.

You see, with a little bit of creativity, heart and fun-filled spirit you can bring Valentines Day alive in a new and special way for your sweetheart.

And now... drum roll please. The final cake topper. I know I said "7" but I just can't help myself. One incredible thing to do is to pick one time in the coming year when it's NOT Valentines Day and act as thought it is. This takes a little forethought, especially if you want to use Valentines cards etc., because you'll be buying the Valentines supplies ahead of time. Imagine the surprise of your loved one when you WOW them in July with an extra Valentines Day Celebration!

Have a great Valentines Day All Year Long!

Dave Turo-Shields