Flowers, roses, rings, and chocolates – February 14th is all about lovers. Gifts are meant to express love for one another. Even if Valentine’s Day has less to do with love for many and more to do with commerce, some would like to take the opportunity to thank their partner. We have put together a few Valentine’s Day gift ideas – beautiful and sustainable at the same time – for your boyfriend or husband.
Who gets gifts on Valentine’s Day, and what do you give? Before you start thinking about a nice Valentine’s Day gift, let’s first see who we actually owe this Day to. Let’s make a little journey through time and go back a few centuries to the origin of the custom.
Valentine’s Day: where does the custom come from?
Did the flower sellers come up with this custom? And to what extent is Saint Valentine involved? There is no agreement on the origin of Valentine’s Day. What is known, however, is that since the Middle Ages in England and France, traditions have been cultivated that are similar to those of today’s Valentine’s Day. Although at that time, the priority was to find a partner for marriage.
Saint Valentine is said to have made a crucial contribution to what is now known as Valentine’s Day done. The Italian bishop married lovers according to Christian tradition, although the Roman emperor had banned Christianity as a religion. A church wedding was not permitted. Valentin did not want to be forbidden to practice his religion and therefore had to face the severest punishment on February 14th, 269: death by beheading. About 100 years later, Saint Valentine was canonized. In 469 AD, another 100 years later, Pope Gelasius commemorated Valentine with a special day: February 14th was declared Valentine’s Day. In 1969 the Day disappeared from the calendar of saints because the sources were not clearly verifiable and still are not. However, the tradition of blessing each other as a married couple around February 14th has survived.
Who gets gifts on Valentine’s Day?
In popular belief, February 14th has a future-determining meaning. Meetings of a girl and a boy are to be understood as portents for future, happy connections.
In general, the Day is considered a reflection of both parties, male and female. The purpose is not to shower yourself with big gifts but to let the gestures speak for themselves.
What do you give your husband or boyfriend for Valentine’s Day?
Give a small gesture. What can that be? What can you give? Flowers are the first attention that is associated with Valentine’s Day – women who want to give their husbands a small Valentine’s Day gift are also thinking about it. But flowers, especially roses, are not sustainable. The cultivation and transport of flowers generate an incredible amount of greenhouse gases.
So what is the right Valentine’s Day gift for men? Giving red fabric hearts and chocolates, as the advertising industry shows us? Not everyone likes it kitschy and playful.
Men do it a bit easier. If they don’t want to let gestures speak for themselves, men like to reach for the tried and tested: a beautiful ring or a noble necklace makes a woman’s heart beat faster. These gifts for women, like the flowers, are by no means sustainable.
DIY: V-Day gift ideas for him & her
Sustainable gifts are becoming increasingly popular. It doesn’t always have to be exotic flowers that have traveled halfway around the world. Making gifts yourself is not only sustainable but also comes from the heart and always has a personal touch. The best seven DIY Valentine’s Day gift ideas for your love:
- Men are hunters and gatherers. Even today, they carry the basic instincts within them. What does this have to do with Valentine’s Day, you ask? How about hosting a little scavenger hunt through the house or the surrounding area? Maybe combine the scavenger hunt with a walk in your favorite park or by a lake. Give your loved one the task of looking for little pieces of paper in boxes, baskets, and crates. It contains vouchers that your husband can redeem by next Valentine’s Day.
2. A few gift card ideas for Valentine’s Day:
3. Be a little creative.
With a few thoughts on his hobbies and favorite activities, these gift ideas will add a few more. A scavenger hunt on Valentine’s Day is something special. After all, anyone can give away clumsy vouchers on February 14th, right?
-
- A candlelight dinner and, in contrast
- An evening when you disappear to your girlfriend’s – so your husband has time to spend a boys’ night with his men.
- The classic: breakfast in bed
- A voucher on which you explain that you will come along to a place without objection, for example to the parents, to a meeting with work colleagues or to the hardware store
- For the active and sporty, you offer various excursions, such as hiking, ice skating, or bungee jumping.
- A movie night that he can determine
- A massage
- a good joke
- Shower together
- lazy Day in bed
- They bake him his favorite cake.
- Kitsch or not, Valentine’s Day can be a little more romantic. Do you recount the first time you met your husband? The first kiss, the first hurdle, the first argument? Take pen and paper & write down the experiences. Why are you still a couple after all the difficult moments? What do ya love most about your bae, and what situation made you feel like you don’t want to spend a day without your man? For a nostalgic touch, use a fountain pen.
- What do you Looooove most about your partner in crime? What have you always wanted to say thank you for? Write whatever comes to mind on small pieces of colored cards, punch a hole in one corner, and hang it on his keychain ring. That way, you’ll make your man smile every time you unlock it.
- On February 14th, the Day of lovers, do not give your partner material gifts but give them a lot of love. Since love is known to go through the stomach, you reach for culinary delights. So start the day with your favorite dish – maybe the bread and fried egg today cut in the shape of a heart.
- You may have seen pictures made with nails and thread online, in a craft book, or in a store. This new DIY art is called string art. Search the web for this term & you will find a ton of guides. For a Valentine’s Day gift, hammer nails in the shape of a heart onto any painted wooden board. Then connect the nails criss-cross with a red or pink thread so that the thread fills the heart. Et voila.
- Ready-made greeting cards for the general public and especially for your husband were yesterday! Cut out little hearts and sew them onto a card with a needle and thread. A dedication or Valentine’s Day saying completes the gift perfectly.
- Set up an album of your and your husband’s favorite songs on a music streaming service, or put together a CD the classic way. Songs that bring back fond memories are always a good choice for a couple.
The perfect Valentine’s Day gift for men
If you can’t quite do it yourself, we have a few suggestions for you too.
- A wonderful Valentine’s Day gift idea: How about a chic hat? There are now a number of manufacturers who have opted for sustainable production. In Berlin, for example, upcycling hats are designed and made from old coffee sacks and leftover fabric. And don’t worry, there are no signs of wear on the hats when they are sold. Since almost 80 percent of men suffer from hair loss and winter still has a few cold months in-store, these sustainable and environmentally friendly hats would be a practical Valentine’s Day gift for men.
- Does the man of the world wear a hat and a bag suit him well? Just like hats, nowadays, you can also find bags that are not made of leather, fabric, or plastic but do something good for the environment. These bags are a particularly sustainable alternative from the Netherlands.
- Sexy and chic: Luva Huva offers purely ecological underwear and accessories.
- They sustainably produced uniquely beautiful jewelry, discovered at Thomas Becker, Atelier für Schmuck, Hamburg.
- The great, fluffy alpaca blankets and lots of chic home accessories from Elvang Denmark: dealer directory.
- The best Valentine’s Day gifts are still those that both benefit from. How about spending the Day together in a wellness hotel or a thermal bath? You can leave everyday life at home and concentrate only on your relationship—wellness in the organic hotel.
- How about a pop art portrait found at Gallery, Individual Art?
- We discovered the romantic 3D heart lamp with economical LEDs at lamps.co.uk.
We have compiled a list of sustainable brands that produce green fashion and eco-fashion for you here. If you miss a certain brand, we would be happy to receive a comment at the end of the article.
Valentine’s Day with your best friend
Even those who are currently not taken or who are not granted a day together can use this Day for a relationship. Get together with a friend or your best friend and show him or her your platonic love. It is also important in friendships to honor and appreciate each other.
Follow Edith beauty for more tips on Relationships.
