Last Minute Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas: Going Beyond Flowers And Chocolate

Last minute Valentine’s Day gifts are the norm for millions of men (and some women) every time February 14 rolls around, but there are plenty of good choices out there to avoid resorting to picking up flowers or candy from the drug store.

Luckily, Valentine’s Day falls at the start of a weekend this year, giving those last minute gift buyers some cool chances for mini-vacations. But for people who like something to give their love something open on Valentine’s Day, there are plenty of other good last minute gift opportunities.

Here are some of the best last minute Valentine’s Day gift ideas:

Homemade Massage Oil

This idea comes via the Soap Deli News Blog, and is incredibly easy to make. The recipe itself is simple — as long as you can get your hands on a small glass beaker — and easy to put together.

Rebecca D. Dillon, the blog’s author, even has some suggestions on how to spruce it up a bit:

“To give your massage oil an even more romantic feel, package instead in a clear glass bottle and a small amount of rose petals or buds, calendula petals or even pink mica.”

52 Reasons Card Deck

This last minute Valentine’s Day gift idea is so simple, you’ll be kicking yourself for not coming up with it on your own.

All you need to do is buy a deck of 52 playing cards, and take some time to come up with 52 reasons why you love your significant other. Put them into a word processing program, print it out to size, and then get to work cutting out the reasons.

You can get creative on how to paste the reasons onto each card, and throw in some sentimental pictures or inside jokes.

The whole idea is fleshed out at the Little Grey Fox blog (via The Frisky)

Weekend Getaway

But isn’t everyone already planning that? Sure, if you’re aiming to stay at a bed and breakfast or at a romantic locale you’re probably out of luck, but there are plenty of places off the beaten path that can make great Valentine’s Day weekend destinations.

Try to find a cool, offbeat museum to bring your love to. Museum Link has a good list of museums listed by state, plus some other resources to find destinations.

You can also check out nearby state parks, which can be a beautiful setting for a winter hike.

Chocolate-Covered Strawberries

This may sound difficult, but they’re actually incredibly easy to make and a great (very) last minute Valentine’s Day gift. You can check out the full instructions here.

Raid Her Pinterest Board

This one won’t work as well for the women, but if you’re a guy and your wife or girlfriend keeps up a Pinterest board, chances are it’s absolutely filled with ideas. Does she have a board titled something like Romantic Ideas? Check that out, and surprise her with one of the things on it. If she’s got recipe ideas, print out one that seems easy enough to make and give her a surprise.

If you’re still hard up for last minute Valentine’s Day gift ideas, you can check out more here.