In one weekend, you can catch up on your favorite TV shows, open a tab at Tom & Marty’s and possibly start some homework; but can you find the perfect gift for your Valentine in just three days?
With some help from my fellow Binghamton University students, I compiled a list of a few of the best (and worst) Valentine’s Day gift ideas for your boyfriend, girlfriend or just the eye-candy you’ve been crushing on in class.
Best for him:
1. Is your boy toy always ordering beer at the bars on a Friday night? Well, bring the bar home by registering him for the Beer of the Month Club through www.amazingclubs.com. After gaining membership to the Beer of the Month Club as a birthday gift from his girlfriend, Andy Silva, a senior double-majoring in English and psychology, recommended this gift idea for any holiday.
If he isn’t into beer, the site also offers other clubs from neckties to cheesecake.
Where to buy:
2. Are you looking to keep it simple this year or is your relationship still new? Chocolate and strawberries are a known aphrodisiac, so why not combine the two into a romantic dessert?
Ariel Schlesinger, a junior majoring in philosophy, politics and law, once made a boyfriend chocolate-covered strawberries and put them in a gift box with cologne and a picture frame.
Where to buy:
Picture frame — Things Remembered
Cologne — I recommend Giorgio Armani Acqua Di Gio.
Best for her:
1. Maybe I’m just supporting my past employer, but a Build-A-Bear could be the perfect gift if you are in a long-distance relationship. Though making the purchase in the store is more personal, you can order and ship the bear directly from the website to your girlfriend so she has something to cuddle when you’re not around. They even offer a selection of Valentine’s Day-themed bears and clothing.
Where to buy:
2. While jewelry is always an easy go-to gift, making it more personal by engraving a quote or both of your initials is a nice touch. Too late to make a purchase? Pipe Dream’s Managing Editor, Katrina Skovan, recommends making your valentine a coupon book.
“A coupon book is a great way to personalize a gift: it shows you really know your lady and were willing to do more than run out and buy a card and restaurant gift card,” said Skovan, a senior majoring in graphic design and English. “Another advantage is that you can avoid appearing insanely last-minute even if you are.”
The worst:
Even though Taylor Swift’s character in the movie “Valentine’s Day” toted one around school with her, in my book, a life-sized teddy bear is never a good gift idea.
Marisa Caramanico, a senior majoring in human development, agreed after her boyfriend, trying to be cute we assume, bought her a life-sized bear to take back to school with her.
“He was definitely trying to find the most obnoxious gift he could get me, but now it just sits in the corner of my room,” Caramanico said.