Cutting it a little close, are we? Well, if you decide to celebrate Giant Red Heart Day but you still don’t have a gift idea for your sweetie, fear not. There are lots of thoughtful ways you can set yourself apart from the pack. None of these require Amazon Prime shipping or a reservation; they just require a trip to your local shops.
Cook a meal
Seriously, cooking for someone is so sweet and personal. It takes way more effort than booking a table at a crowded restaurant, and it’s much more intimate. It shows way more devotion especially if you’re not really a master chef!
If your date is into traditional steakhouse fare, get the best, tenderest steak you can buy at a fancy hippie butcher like Rain Shadow Meats. And of course, there are lots of steakhousey sides like creamed spinach and potatoes. You’re by no means limited to this cuisine, but it’s an easy traditional path that makes your decisions for you and sorta mimics the Big Night Out menu.
Or hey, go vegan and thematically all red! Red quinoa, beets with red onions, red cabbage/radicchio/red kale salad with blood orange segments and pomegranate seeds. Go nuts! Side bonus: You’ll be drowning in antioxidants after two bites. Don’t forget the red wine or red-hued cocktails, and maybe some raspberry sorbet for dessert. Have fun with it. ♥
Plant some tulips
If you wanna set yourself apart from the Dozen Red Roses Delivered crowd, go buy a bunch of potted, already-blooming tulips from the grocery store floral department and either plant them in the ground (zone 8ish and up) or place the pots around your sweetheart’s door. You can get a cheap little spade from stores like Target or Home Depot, or your local hardware or gardening store. Some grocers even have them in the floral department for one-stop shopping. It’s a fun festive vibe that lasts longer than cut flowers and is usually cheaper per bloom, yet way more personal and unexpected.
Buy cool red stuff
I sort of dug around the house for every red item I had when I shot this silly pic for The Heartographer’s Facebook cover image. Um, there’s a LOT you can do with red. Anything looks thoughtful and thematic if purchased in red or pink or a heart shape. In previous years I’ve bought my sweetie and/or our household a bunch of useful and/or darling red items, including the aforementioned red Veto stamp, a red Japanese teapot, and some fancy red spatulas.
So think outside the box! Go pick out some red-tipped air plants, some classic red shoes, some fingerless red gloves for maximum texting love, some red duct tape for whenever something needs fixing, a potted Sharry Baby orchid that SMELLS like the cliché chocolates you opted not to get… you name it! You still have lots of options if you get creative.
Most of all, have FUN with this holiday! Don’t let Cupid make you feel bad. If your’e not into red or thematic but you still want to show someone you care, just do something sweet for them. ♥