Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with valentinesday

Valentine treats in NYC

Anonymous — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 19:29:31 -0800

I'm spending Valentine's Day on a business trip to Manhattan instead of home with my sweetie. What little treat/gift can I pick up to take home that says "I went all the way to NYC just to get this for you"? Ideal gift is small and survives crowded train travel and is not easily available in my own large East Coast city. I'm thinking something like "special box of chocolates from NYC's best chocolatier," but I could be talked into something like "hipster bar of scented soap shaped like the Brooklyn Bridge."

(Anon because said sweetie reads Metafilter. Said sweetie is a man, if it matters.)

All the happy people in relationships will be busy that night

Soliloquy — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 15:06:53 -0800

What can I do to make the evening of Valentine's Day in an online chatroom suck less for everyone involved? If previous years are any indication, the online chat I host weekly on Thursday nights will probably be filled with lonely, lonely people bemoaning the lack of a significant other in their lives and bringing everybody down myself included. What can I do to, hopefully, take everybody's mind off their romantic troubles myself included? I've been considering declaring it a "single's mixer" night with getting-to-know-you type questions, but not sure we'll get enough people of the right mix of demographics to make any love connections. Any ideas?

Valentine's day boxes for adults in the workplace

joan cusack the second — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 09:30:12 -0800

Do you have any suggestions for a group of graduate students doing Valentine's Day boxes at our desks at school (like we did for our elementary school Valentine's Day parties)? I need help with both box design, as well as suggestions for the Valentines themselves! This year, I proposed setting out Valentine's Day boxes in our graduate student office. You know...like the ones we set out in elementary school for all of our fellow students to put candy and cartoon character-themed cards in? I thought it would be a fun thing to do in our gloomy basement office this time of year. My initial thought is for all of us to make some kind of box, set them on our desks on Valentine's Day, and put candy and cards in the boxes throughout the day (we all have desks in two big shared rooms, which are open throughout the day).

However, I've discovered that I have no idea how to adapt the magic of the Valentine's Day box/classroom candy exchange to the graduate student office environment, either for the boxes or the candy/cards. I remember possibly cutting out pictures from magazines and gluing them onto shoeboxes, but I was wondering if anyone more creative than me had any better and less time-intensive ideas. I've been browsing Pinterest, but the suggestions there seem distinctly geared toward those elementary school parties (although I kind of like the Kleenex monster boxes).

I'd also welcome ideas for kind, small, cheap candy/gifts/cards that I could give out, besides kind words to my colleagues printed on SpongeBob SquarePants card stock.

We have several international students in my office who have no idea what I'm talking about when I say "Valentine's Day boxes," so pictures would be helpful.

We are psychology/linguistic students studying language processing, in case that matters.

Valentine's Day gift ideas for husband, imminent baby edition

annekate — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 16:25:51 -0800

Our first child is due in a few weeks and I would like to give him something extra romantic and special (maybe even a bit pampering) for V-Day before the big event. Desperately seeking suggestions, romantic gifting for men is hard! Some more about him: 30-something, introverted, nerdy engineer type (literal rocket scientist). He has classic tastes and values items of quality, but we're saving money for the baby so a big expense is probably not a good idea. Let's say the budget is about $150.

Some things I've thought of include a nice pen (Waterford or Porsche), fur-lined slippers, silk boxers... but then these things are also not necessarily useful or practical, and seem somewhat cliche. Help! (Also, I got him a robe for V-Day last year so that's out, sadly.)

Last minute ideas for a roadtrip romance

isnotchicago — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 21:46:42 -0800

#lastminuteValentineshelp what can I do for Valentine's Day between Tucson, AZ and Los Angeles, CA (inclusive)? This Valentine's, I will be on the road, leaving Tucson in the morning and arriving in Los Angeles in the early evening. I am not beholden to any location or time, but there is one major hurdle: I'll be with my SO from now until then 24/7, so disappearing to gather secret supplies (say, for a romantic picnic at Joshua Tree) would be difficult. I am guessing "dinner in LA" is my best bet, but I want to hear what the hivemind thinks.

Budget: not much. $50 total at most (so $20ish per person for dinner).

Would be awesome but not necessary: this is one leg of a longer road trip to see America, so ideas that take us to spots that showcase the west, or the coast, or LA, etc. would be great.

I like you and you're awesome and I am so lucky you talk to me even though I am so weird as to tell you this

jenlovesponies — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 12:33:23 -0800

Should I send mash notes for Valentine's Day, or will that freak everyone out? I am single this year for Valentine's Day, and recently, a guy I know died, and as I am in my mid-twenties I haven't had this happen to many people in my age-range. Both of these stars aligned and now I am thinking about taking up a small project- sending out mash notes, essentially, to my nearest and dearest. Basically, note cards, because people like getting mail, in which I praise the recipient for being a good friend and being awesome at whatever they are awesome at. I can't decide if this is weird, or inappropriate.

If I do send these out, should I warn people via facebook or texting, or just let them open their mailboxes and find them? Would you think it was strange to get such a card in the mail? Would you feel like it was pressure to send some sort of reciprocation? Would you think it was meant, given the time of year, as a sign that I was in love with you?

Help me figure out "interesting" beer!

Anonymous — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 18:41:13 -0800

Beer of the Month club or a variety of beers? I'd like to get my husband a beer-related gift for Valentine's Day but need some help. I know that he likes "interesting" beers--whatever that means. I think that means not Budweiser, Miller etc. If you have an idea what this means, I'd love further clarification.

On to the question, beer of the month club for Vday? If so, which one? Or purchase a random assortment of beers at a beer/wine store?

Happy Valenhog Day to you, too! Now, what to eat?

Anonymous — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 17:52:29 -0800

I need an idea for a dish to bring to the work Valenhog potluck lunch on Monday! (Valenhog Day is Valentine's day and Groundhog's day, of course.) I would LOVE to bring something clever and Valenhog themed, but that is less essential than being delicious. Healthy is a plus, but not essential either.

We have a couple of microwaves, small toaster oven, and a refrigerator here, and I can bring in a crockpot. Ideally a meal would use a mandolin as a prep tool, in an obvious way, since I got one in the Yankee swap this Christmas. I would prefer not to bring a dessert, but happy to hear any ideas.

Anonymous in case coworkers read this. I might be the only person in the world who received a mandolin at the office Christmas party and has a Valenhog lunch on Monday.

Roses are red, violets are blue...

Kattiara17 — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 07:58:08 -0800

Roses are red, violets are blue...where in Philly will deliver only two? Valentine's Filter: I'm in the beginning of a new relationship with a great guy. We're taking things a bit slowly, as it's been awhile since either of us has been dating. Things are good; he's making me happier than I've been in a long while.

Now Valentine's Day is almost here, and I'm trying to figure out what I can do for him, since we're in different cities (Philadelphia/NYC). What I'd been thinking was having one or two roses delivered to him, but I've had no luck finding a place online that would do a small order like that. The large, $40+ arrangements that I see instead feel a little over the top at this point (and to be honest, would be a stretch for my tiny budget).

We have mutual friends in NYC, and I've been informed that one of them will have something for me on his behalf on Monday.. but unfortunately there's no corresponding friends in Philly that I could use for the same purpose.

So, mefites, does anyone in Philadelphia know of a local flower shop that would do a simple delivery like what I mentioned? It would be to a center city address, near Thomas Jefferson University, if that makes a difference. Or, barring flowers, I'm open to other ideas.. mainly looking for something simple and sweet that would make his day.

V-Day in LA

gerryblog — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 16:40:34 -0800

I'd like to do something cool with my wife for Valentine's Day. Difficulty: we'll be away from our home base in Riverside, CA (near Los Angeles). Turn-ons include nature/hiking/beaches and culture of all types: film, theater, music, history, art. We're pretty open-minded when it comes to cuisine, though we're both vegetarians. Hit me with all your best ideas! Thanks.

Love will tear us apart

ghost dance beat — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 15:09:58 -0800

Valentine's Day gifts for people who hate Valentine's Day. I am in a fairly casual relationship with a guy who might be described as somewhat of a cynic. I'm looking for cute, clever, or just plain anti-love gifts to show my affection (or not, as it were). I've looking through the past questions and have a couple of ideas, but I'm hoping you guys can come up with something great (and preferably fairly cheap). Thanks!

Something special for my special someone

cp311 — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 18:45:35 -0800

Valentine's Day gift: what to give someone who has almost everything? Valentine's Day is less than two weeks away, and I still have no idea what to get for my boyfriend. Last year, I gave him a framed photo of us, chocolates, and a card. I'd really like to find something he would love, but don't know what - he has an iPod that he likes to play games on, along with Xbox/Kinect.. He hasn't mentioned any new games coming out that he wants to try. We like to watch movies, but usually on Netflix, so a DVD would only be good if the movie couldn't be watched online. We both love chocolate, and collecting vinyl records. Since the chocolate shop we like is in his hometown, there's really no way to get some there without him knowing, so we're going to get some to share.. I'm open to whatever ideas you may have. I just want to find or do something special for him.

You're like a fixed gear bike, fun to ride and hard to stop

Juliet Banana — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 12:54:57 -0800

For Halloweeen I'm going to be Valentine's Day and pass out homemade Valentines to people. I need a lot of repurposed pick-up lines and dirty jokes and terrible puns for the cards. Think "I CHOO-CHOO-CHOOSE YOU!" for drunken adults. I'm into bicycles, drinking, and hitting on hipsters, so if you've got anything along those lines bring it on. My middle name is Cupcake and there's got to be at least a billion cream-filling/frosting jokes there. I love living in Chicago and plan to make as many jokes about The Crotch (aka Six Corners) as I can. I can draw pretty well so visual jokes are also ok. I have absolutely no problem with being absolutely filthy and/or offensive. They can also be the dumbest jokes ever and I'll still find them funny.

Where can I find old Valentines Day cards from the Onion?

PostIronyIsNotaMyth — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 12:11:37 -0800

Looking for a series of Valentines Day cards from the Onion that were put up on the web somewhere around 2002-2003 It was a series of six cards "aimed" at kids but with very graphic and disturbing images. One I believe had the caption "Twirlin' my meat for you" and another featured a boy ripping his own heart out in anguish to give to a girl.

I've searched the Interwebs and come up with the expired link to the cards (http://www.theonion.com/onion3805/valentines_day_kids_page.html) and so far can find nothing. Does anyone else remember these/have a copy on their hard drive/know where to find them? Thanks!

What object should I personalize with an engraved phrase for a gift?

alleycat01 — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 13:39:58 -0800

ValentinesGiftFilter: I want to engrave/stamp/otherwise permanently mark a quirky phrase into ... something ... as a gift for my boyfriend. What should that something be? I want to put the phrase "You are my sandwich" on something for my boyfriend as a valentine's day gift. Before your minds fall into the collective gutter, that line came from a 30 Rock episode where Liz compares her embarrassing Beeper King boyfriend to a good-but-not-perfect hoagie -- comforting, tasty, just "not THE sandwich I want to eat forever"(at which point Boyfriend turned to me and asked "Am I your sandwich?" ... and I, predictably, started muttering incomprehensively about lettuce and mayo).

Anyway, I really like the mix of irreverent humor and yet, uh, affirming loveydoveyness in that phrase and I'd like to find something fun to put it on. The caveat is that Boyfriend has a pretty clean/discriminating design aesthetic -- meaning I don't really want to paint it on a wooden pictureframe or give him something with too much of a macaroni-art feel. I was thinking of trying to get it engraved, but most of the engraveable objects I see online are pretty ... portentous-looking, and might look silly (see: pewter mug, silver cufflinks). At this point I'm leaning toward a pen or maybe a keyfob, but I just feel like maybe there's something cooler or more fun out there ... any thoughts, MeFites? It doesn't have to be engraved, either -- the words just have to be nicely lettered. Bonus points if it's something useful.

Just so you get a sense of our/his style, in the past presents have been small-but-not-cheap things we'd enjoy (tix to a favorite show, a DVD documentary, nice leather gloves for him, really good face cream for me, etc). He is involved in design and tends to like clean lines & modern styling & general non-superfluousness.

(I also realize it's only a week away from V-day. It's OK if it's not possible to get this done in time; I'm still interested in your ideas.)

Thanks, as always!

Help me mail a pie. To Canada.

Anonymous — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 06:04:14 -0800

My romantic associate lives in Canada. I live in the US. He loves pie. I love baking. Help me make Valentine's Day a success. I've sent Snickers bars and Tostitos to American junk food-deprived friends abroad, but I've never tried to send homemade baked goods across international lines. Is it legal? I'm assuming I should use a courier service like DHL to make sure the pie gets where it needs to go on time. Does anyone have experience with a specific company? Also: how should I pack it?

Anonymous because said romantic associate knows of my deep, abiding love for the green, and that would ruin the surprise.

Ladies: What do you wish your boyfriend would get you for Valentine's Day?

1awesomeguy — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 06:53:59 -0800

My girlfriend and I have been dating for almost six months now, but I know we have a special connection. I know she is very emotionally involved in our relationship as am I. We are planning on moving in together during the summer (mostly to save money). We are both 23 and live in Boston. She is Chinese, concerned with the environment, and about to go to grad school. I have been working on my start-up company. Neither of us have much money. That does not mean I can't do something special for her. The day before Valentine's is our 6-month anniversary which my girlfriend is planning and has already got some tickets to the opera for us to see. We agreed that she would plan our anniversary and I would plan Valentine's. What are some special things I could do or give her to show her I love her?

Valentine's Day Mix CD

Colonel_Chappy — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 16:23:54 -0800

Your favorite alternative/indie/classic but not overplayed love songs? I'm making a Valentine's Day mix cd for the music-loving man I've been seeing and I need some help. I've already included every song that I know of that would be appropriately romantic (see below), I'm hoping that the hive mind can recommend some other songs that would be fun, cheeky, clever and include just enough romance to be appropriate. We won't have been seeing each other that long, so as much as I love the Smiths I'm trying to avoid proclamations about what a pleasure it would be to die at his side, etc.

Here's what I've got so far:

"Baby," by Devendra Banhart
"Baby Let Me Hold Your Hand," by the Detroit Cobras
"I Want A Love I Can See," by the Temptations
"Blame It On the Trains," by Art Brut
"Never Had Nobody Like You," by M. Ward
"Your Arms Around Me," by Jens Lekman
"Settling In," by Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings

He has pretty eclectic tastes, so throw your best at me, whatever it is. Thanks for your help!

Valentines for a not-quite couple

oviedo — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 13:27:35 -0800

What do i do for a girl i'm not quite dating on valentines day? So to make a long story short, me and this girl are very interested in each other, but she's not quite ready to make it an "official" relationship. We spend a lot of time with each other, and she's slowly becoming more open about our relationship, letting me hold her hand, etc.

I'm completely satisfied with the way the relationship is going... but valentines day is coming up in a week, and i have no clue what i should do, if anything.

I was thinking perhaps getting her a single rose or something along those lines. Something that acknowledges that we aren't serious, but that we are still something. What does the hive think?

Valentine's Gift for Him

Anonymous — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 14:09:14 -0800

A Valentine's day question - mea culpa! I'd like to go for something handmade and creative for the dude, but I'm afraid school is sucking up my imagination. Ideas? So I realized just today that there were two weeks left till Valentine's day, and I'd like to get a head start on figuring out what to do. I've read through the old Valentine's Day posts on Metafilter - good ideas, but none of them quite as relevant as I need them to be. I'm a girl, he's a guy, we've been together a couple of years, I've been crazy busy for the past month (and will be for the next two weeks), and am on college student budget.

Things I've done in the past for various occasions: Mix CD with custom liner notes, Video game montage set to music, Origami stars, cartoon drawing of us, hand painted mug, mini scrapbook made from scratch (hand bound and everything)

He's pretty ambivalent on flowers - he'd like them 'cause it's me, but not much beyond that. I thought of doing origami flowers, or stealing the wire butterfly idea, or combining them, but there seems to be something missing. He's not a crossword puzzles kind of guy, though I wouldn't mind trying to set up a treasure hunt - but even then I'd still need ideas for how to set it up, as well as the finale. Also, caveat: I have a midterm on the 15th, and I'd only be free after 7 PM.

Other info: We're usually pretty low-key. His vices: video games, hardware, sound systems, 3D modelling, electric guitar/bass, Monty Python, local wildlife (chipmunks, squirrels and birds primarily) and chocolate/candy. He lives in residence. I have access to the local craftstore and lots of origami paper. Dinner and desert will be par for the course, I imagine. We do go out semi regularly (once every month ish). Hope me?

Actually. If anyone can recommend a low-key, not-toooo-sappy love poem intended for a guy that I could calligraph or something, I would love you forever. Something like When You Are Old by Yeats, but less ... feminine.

Anon 'cause I occasionally ask questions for him and he checks my profile.

What to buy my valentine while she's far away?

autojack — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 11:07:43 -0800

I need some long-distance-specific suggestions for a Valentine's day gift. I'm in San Francisco; she's in Australia. My Aussie girlfriend had to move back to Melbourne in December because her work visa in the US was up. We have to deal with the long distance while we work out a plan for ourselves. I was just there for a visit over New Year's, we talk on the phone more or less daily, and already have some other visits planned for the upcoming year, so it all feels manageable. That said, I do miss her like mad, and I'd like to do something nice for her on the 14th.

I'm open to all kinds of suggestions, but I'm trying to think of something more clever than jewelry (got her something as a going-away present), flowers (just sent her some because she was having a shitty week), or chocolate (cliche). If it was something San Francisco or Melbourne/Australia specific, that could be a plus.

The bottom line is that I'm crazy about this woman and I'm a hopeless (but apparently not very creative?) romantic. Even just a nudge in the right direction would be incredibly helpful!

Delivery in NYC for Valentines Day?

Anonymous — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 14:32:36 -0800

I would like to have something fun delivered to my SO at their office on V-Day. What sort of fun things could I get delivered in NYC? I thought about flowers, but would love to do something non-conventional. To be clear, I'd prefer something that could be delivered vs. something that would be shipped.

romance ideas...go!

Kudos — Sun, 11 Feb 2007 23:04:01 -0800

Valentine Day date ideas in Bloomington, Indiana Just recently met her, and we've been on a few dates already, which mainly consisted of eating out, so i'd like to stray away from the idea of the meal being the main event for the night, though I think dinner is a given for the event.

Whats worked for you in the past? Any general ideas or rules of thumb would be great, too.

-under 21
-vegan
-and it is fairly cold, so unless its really awesome, skipping through the meadows is probably out.
-won't be able to go out till about 8-8:30 at night

Help me find a good L.A. restaurant for Valentine's Day

camworld — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 18:59:41 -0800

L.A.-Filter: Can you recommend a good restaurant (not too fancy) I can take my new bride to on Valentine's Day in the Los Angeles area? We'll be visiting (from NYC) for only 2 days (Feb 14-15). I'm more interested in fantastic food than I am froo-froo ambience, though something cozy and romantic would be great as long as it's not full of L.A. machismos and their dates. We definitely want to stay away from where everyone else will be and have no interest in celebrity-spotting. Given the last-minute nature of this trip, getting a reservation might be hard, but I know Ask MeFi wil come thorugh for us and sugggest someplace off the beaten path that will create memories of a lifetime.

Experience with girichoko?

greasepig — Wed, 11 Jan 2006 14:26:21 -0800

Does anyone have experience or knowledge of the Japanese tradition called girichoko? It comes from the Japanese "giri" meaning duty or obligation, and "choko", a shortened from of "chokoleeto" or chocolate, and it refers to candies that women give to men who are not their spouses or significant others on Valentine's Day. I need to find out more about this tradition, though - are there any other days that women give girichoko? It seems that men do not give girichoko on White Day, just to their girlfriends, or do they and it's called something else? Is it still pretty popular or is it dying out? Any info at all would be appreciated (日本語でどうぞ)