Terrible gifts for Valentine’s Day
It’s almost Valentine’s Day. And everyone in the editorial office knows, I am a huge sucker for V-Day. Liesbeth wouldn’t dream of being in a restaurant with a man on the 14th while I eagerly reserve a place at least a week in advance. I asked around a bit and it revealed that more than anything we would like to get hand-written letters and spend an evening cooking. So we are not so difficult to please.
I’ll just share (for the men who happen to be reading at the moment, who have thus now been nabbed at cheating) what you truly must not do on Valentine’s Day. “Just open the Valentine’s Day folder from your cheapo chain store and there you have everything that’s forbidden”, wrote friend S. Clear enough.
Fluffy toys
The very worst is one of those little bears holding a heart in his little paws with ‘I love you’ on it or something. No! Actually I don’t like any fluffy toys.
A fake rose
And then in his mouth or somewhere. Bye bye. I just love real flowers but gerberas make me scream. “He can also clear off with a ‘Get a second bunch of flowers free with the drive-in app during the sales’”, as far as friend E is concerned.
Cadburys chocolates
Thank you for being you? Yuck. Horribly cliché and it’s really bad form to choose the easiest option. Better to go to an excellent chocolate shop or patisserie for a box of real chocolates. Then you’ll do any women a great favour.
Hallmark card
All so very easy that you can send a card sitting at your desk and then it’s perhaps handy that your handwriting is unreadable (‘cos your text is typed after all). But I do think it just a tad lazy, and very impersonal.
Lingerie that’s too big
“Reeeally bad.”
Salad servers, cooking timer, cheese slicer, potato peeler
“Seriously, my father once gave this to my mother because he thought she peeled the potatoes too thinly,” reported friend L. Well, maybe it is a handy utensil and all, but not so romantic. More a let-down!
