Independent Student Newspaper for the University of Texas at San Antonio

The Paisano

Independent Student Newspaper for the University of Texas at San Antonio

The Paisano

Independent Student Newspaper for the University of Texas at San Antonio

The Paisano

List of simple gifts for Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day is about showing your affection for someone. Many times you feel pressured to give extravagant gifts for this one day: big bouquets, lots of chocolates and jewelry. Here is a list of simple and un-extravagant gifts for the everyday college student.

1. Make a Mix-CD

Mixtapes are personal because you’re conveying your personality and thoughts through the music you choose. With iTunes, it’s easy to make a playlist of your favorite musicians, or a romantic theme and burn it on a CD. You can also personalize the cover with a handwritten message to your loved one.

2. Buy (make) a personalized card

This idea comes from browsing Tumblr. Ben Kling, a Tumblr illustrator, has created ingenious Valentine’s Day cards containing historical jokes. For example, Kling has a card with a cartoon Socrates and a caption that says, “Quit Socra-teasing me and be my Valentine!” You have the option to buy, print or even illustrate your own historical Valentine.

3. Instead of going out, make dinner together

It’s easy to buy ingredients for simple meals like chicken, rice and asparagus. However, the best thing about making a meal together is that you give yourselves the opportunity to bond without the distractions of a busy restaurant. The experience will also be unforgettable since a hilarious story will come from cooking together.

4. Plan a romantic outing

If you’re not up to staying inside and cooking a meal, then plan an outing that will suit both of your tastes. Do something other than going to the movies or eating out. Make plans to go to an art museum, a live concert or take a stroll down the River Walk. Do something that’s out of the box that you know the both of you will enjoy.

5. Buy stuffed animals that remind you of them

If you want to have a relaxing evening but still want to show your love, try buying a stuffed animal.

Toy bears are conventional gifts for Valentine’s Day, but you can buy an animal that reminds you of your loved one. For example, you can buy a toy fox because he or she is foxy. Have fun with picking animal toys and your loved one will enjoy it.

6. Experiment with making homemade chocolate covered fruits

This idea kind of goes with cooking dinner, but it is easy to cover fruits in chocolate. Head over to your local H-E-B, pick up your favorite fruits and chocolate and enjoy making delicious treats together. You can even eat these while binge-watching a favorite series on Netflix!

7. Buy them your favorite book

Giving your loved one your favorite book for Valentine’s Day is also a very personalized form of gift giving because you’re showing him or her what you like to read. By doing this, you are giving him or her a further understanding of your interests.

8. Write a poem or a short story

If you’re more on the creative side then you should write a poem or short story to your loved one. He or she will enjoy that you were thinking about them as a creative muse.

9. Buy a bottle of champagne

This could be expensive, depending on the brand, but champagne is a classic Valentine’s Day gift. It’s tasty, bubbly and you can add strawberries to it.

10. “Breaking Bad” Party for Two or more

This idea doesn’t have to be for “Breaking Bad,” but for any other TV series. The idea is to re-vamp the “let’s stay in” date nights. Order some food to go and binge-watch your favorite TV series on Netflix, but dress up like you’re a character from the series. You can also refer to all of your food stuff in their scientific names—for example, “pour me some phosphate” can mean pour me some soda. Have fun with getting into a series and you can even invite friends to celebrate Valentine’s Day together.

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