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Cynics say that Valentine’s Day is a fallacy that was invented by the greeting cards industry for the sole purpose to stretch out our finances once again, just in case the Christmas credit card bill was starting to subside. Probably one of the worst parts of a Valentine’s Day event is going to the shops at the very last minute to join the other groups of people in a crazed search for what will hopefully be a thoughtful gift for your special someone. If the thought of joining other clueless lovers picking up some trashy sheer lingerie on February the 13th makes you feel ill then plan to get skilled in picking out your Valentine’s Day gifts online this year.

A Brief History of Valentine’s Day

What makes February 14 so special? Multiple theories on the subject circulate in the history books, but this particular one is just too romantic to ignore. Although the Catholic Church currently recognizes three different saints named Valentine who were martyred on February 14, the one whose story explains how we celebrate today is one about a Roman priest from the third century named Bishop Valentine. Emperor Claudius was very concerned that young men who were married were less likely to willingly join his growing army of soldiers than single men, so he declared marriage against the law. Because the Catholic Bishop Valentine believed so much that marriage was a holy institution desired by God, he continued to secretly marry young couples. The emperor discovered that Valentine was clearly disobeying his orders, so he was locked up to rot in jail. While in captivity, Valentine ended up falling in love with his jailer’s daughter. Legend has it that just before his death he left his true love a note signed “From Your Valentine”.

Knowing the history behind this particular occasion and it’s meaning, it’s now time to celebrate it properly with your special someone. Although you may be that someone who resists falling in line with the rest of the world for this occasion, please remember that it may be hard for your significant other to ignore. Can you possibly maybe make this the one Valentine’s Day where you let go of your normal barriers and just try it out, succumbing to all the hoopla for your special someone. What’s left now is to decide on what to buy. What ever could it be? It can be very simple to something totally elaborate. Since this possibly may be the first time you are doing this, let’s begin simple.

Valentine’s Day Cards

A great Valentine’s card is arguably one of the best ways to mark the occasion. One way to make your card meaningful without breaking the bank is to create a card written entirely in your own words. If this scares you a bit, don’t worry as there are online stores that provide templates to help you along the process of making your masterpiece. It’s possible to add audio or what about putting video into the mix, matching everything with your favorite love song to really set the mood. Luckily for you there are a ton of great websites to make this easy on you.

If you prefer to give a physical card there are plenty of places online where you can choose from a selection of cards and then personalize them as much as you like by changing the words and colors on the card. A neat feature is you can even upload your own photographs. Then have the printed card sent either to you, or better still, have it directly sent to your loved one.

A Few Ideas For Some Inexpensive and Creative Valentine’s Day Gifts

• Make a book of IOU’s for your partner, including one that allows your special someone to spend a day with his buds or with her girly friends, one to get out of an argument for free, one for a massage after a long day, one to watch the other play dress up in sexy wholesale lingerie, or anything else you can think of.

• Put together a meaningful playlist for that special someone’s iPod or MP3 player so during those dreary trips on their way to work they can be reminded how wonderful you are by the incredibly thoughtful and memorable songs you put together highlighting special times you’ve spent together.

• Go look through your old photos and create a great collage of all your pictures together. One can really make an impression by putting together an album with special moments highlighted with your own designs. Do some research by visiting scrapbooking websites for some super ideas.

If you can’t think of anything else, nothing is wrong with simply buying flowers. If you significant other has more traditional tastes, a simple bouquet of flowers will do just fine. You really can’t go wrong by giving romantic red roses but if you really want to make an impression try putting together with the help of your florist, an arrangement of your significant other’s favorite flower. In the end no matter what you choose to do, remember…it’s the thought that counts.