You Waited To The Last Minute Again Didn’t You ?

I don’t know about you, but lately I’ve been busy, busy, busy. How about you? Has your schedule been so hectic that you’re still wondering what to do for your special someone on Valentine’s Day?

Here are 10 suggestions to help you finalize your plan:

• Candy, flowers, and jewelry continue to be popular Valentine’s Day gifts for women. Look for organic, fair-trade chocolate to go green in your gift giving. Select a local florist who you know has been in business in the community for some time. My daughter bought roses for Valentine’s Day from a firm that set up an operation in an abandoned gas station in Miami. The flowers didn’t last long.

• Select a special bottle of wine and plan a dinner made up of your loved one’s favorite dishes. Chocolate and red wine are nice for dessert.

• Pick out a great book, if your special someone is a booklover. For nonreaders, skip this hint.

• Enlarge a favorite photo of you and your partner and select an attractive frame. Again, this only is for those who love photos.

• Put together a gift basket of items that your partner loves – coffee, tea, brownies, perfumes, or chocolates are good choices. You can also focus on your partner’s hobbies: golf, photography, music, gardening, fishing, baking, chess or other board games, computer games, reading, knitting, household projects, or blogging. Or, if you really out of time, buy a gift basket that’s already prepared.

• Avoid these gifts: For women, gifts to help with weight loss; appliances such as vacuum cleaners or coffee pots; cleaning supplies including mops; sex gifts; or wrong-sized lingerie. For men, flowers at work, chocolates, candles, underwear with hearts, soap or deodorant, stuffed animal, a gym membership, or tools.

• Talk with your partner about whether he or she would enjoy a special movie or play after your dinner out.

• Think of a place where you and your partner could go for a special treat together, such as a picnic in February.

• It’s not too late to plan a special overnight trip to a nearby exciting location. With the slow economic recovery and gas increasing in price, “staycations” or vacations near home are increasing in popularity.

• A gift card, while often viewed as a weak gift because you didn’t have the time or energy to select something more personal or creative, is better than nothing. Make sure you remind your love one to treat a gift card like cash; use it right away or set up a system to keep track of it. Read the fine print to see if fees will apply.