What Men Really Want For Valentine’s Day

It’s coming, ladies! The most romantic day of the year is less than 1 week away. Cupid is restocking his quiver with arrows, card shops and chocolatiers are gearing up, and florists are positively giddy. Valentine’s Day is right behind Christmas and Mother’s Day in terms of profitability for merchants. Men flock to lingerie stores, teenagers throng kiosks at the mall to get things embroidered and “blinged” beyond all recognition, and we women anticipate being presented with jewelry, eating decadent meals we didn’t have to cook, and going away for a romantic weekend.  But in today’s world, guys are starting to say “Hey, what do we get out of  this?”

So for those of us who will be gifting the men in our lives on Valentine’s Day, the question is “What would he like?”  Many of us think we know our men well enough to get him a gift he’ll like without putting a whole lot of thought or effort into it, and we’re probably right.  Tickets to a Bulls game would be great if he likes basketball. The Chicago Auto Show is in town– maybe he’d like to go.  Perhaps there’s a restaurant near his job where he likes to go for lunch. Load up a gift card for him to use whenever he chooses.  He may like any of those ideas.

But what if you want to give him something he’ll love?  There’s a commercial playing for a certain company that sells what I’ll refer to as “romance enhancement” products.  The basic idea of the commercial is that your mister probably doesn’t want sappy, heart-emblazoned items that he’s never going to wear or use. Polls reveal that when asked, most men replied that they’d love memorable sex for Valentine’s Day.  Newsflash, girls: he wants YOU. His Sweetie, his Honey, his Baby.  Were you planning on giving him a shirt and tie in his favorite color?  Well, that’s fine!  But instead of putting them in a box and slapping a bow on it, present them to him by wearing them– and nothing else.  Or, you can do some shopping and save 25% on lingerie that will blow his mind.

You can also watch a few YouTube videos on massage and give him a gift basket especially created for his Valentine’s Day rub down. (Shameless plug:  By the way, WhatchuNeed Unlimited creates beautiful baskets for tastes ranging from conventional to naughty.)

If that’s really just not your thing, other good ideas would be electronics for techies, video game console accessories for gamers, iTunes gift cards for music lovers… oh, and a great idea for the man whose love for his car is 2nd only to his love for you?  Gift certificates to get his car detailed!  It’s finally snowing here in Chicago.  Can’t lose with that one.  You can do it, ladies… Be creative! Be romantic! Be memorable!  Just keep in mind, the thought counts, but it counts for more if he LOVES his gift!

Are you planning to do or buy something for your guy for Valentine’s Day? Is price a factor, or is money no object?