Valentine's Day Gifts: The Great Debate

Here we are, once again, on the brink of Valentine's Day. For some people it is a day that reminds them of their perpetually failing love-lives. For others, it is a day to run around and flaunt the love of their life, without looking foolish; after all, we can excuse this on Valentine's Day. Some wear red to honor the occasion, and some wear black to adamantly protest the wretched saint of love. One thing that many people can agree on is that if you are with someone, it is standard to give a gift of some sort. But what?

There is an age-old debate in my household spanning twenty-five years. This debate raged on between the women in my house and the man. My father was outnumbered by a wife and two daughters. My father is a generous man, who often likes to surprise my mother with gifts. Sometimes he is right on the mark, and other times, his gift is a nuisance and a constant reminder that the money could have been better spent. My father's position is that a gift is a gift, and it is the thought that counts. My mother, sister and I hold onto a different perspective. We feel that if someone truly wants to get a gift for another person, they should get a gift that the recipient would actually want. The result is that my father more often than not, tells us our gifts in advance and we can sort of give him a thumbs up or thumbs down. This angered my father, because now he could never be spontaneous with his gift giving. Or could he?

Here are some tips on how to fish for gift ideas without revealing yourself. First thing is to remember that the cost of the gift does not say anything about the true value of the gift. For several years in college, I was in charge of buying gifts for faculty members on special occasions, usually involving opening night of a theatrical production. My theatre department realized as early as my freshman year, that I had a knack for getting the perfect gift. Many a professor opened up gifts, shed some tears and wondered how on earth anyone could have known that they wanted that exact gift. It's a piece of cake!