Chocolate Became The Soul Of Valentine's Day

It is said that one of the biggest chocolate giving holidays is Valentine's Day. The closer you get to the actual holiday, the more you will see the chocolate fly off the shelves. There are typically 4 major gifts that are given when Valentine's Day rolls around and those gifts are jewelry, flowers, stuffed animals and of course, chocolate. So how do you get away with giving valentine chocolate as your gift without it seeming like a cliche? The first thing is to steer clear of the gas stations for last minute gifts. Take the extra minute and actually go to a regular store; it will be well worth it.

Despite what you may think, most people really do enjoy getting chocolate for Valentine's Day. The trick to spicing it up is to get a big creative with the chocolate. The traditional chocolate gifts are heart shaped boxed of candy filled chocolates. These are the types that you will find at the corner store as well as most pharmacies. If you show up with a box of the typical chocolates then you will be saying that you did not take much time in picking out the gift.

You do not want to look like you picked your gift up at the last minute without putting any thought into it so try to be a little creative with what you choose. For instance, if you are looking to spice things up in the romance department you may want to look into something such as chocolate body paints and some chocolate flavored whipped topping. IF your partner is more on the conservative side and he or she loves coffee then you may want to go with a valentine chocolate gift such as chocolate covered coffee beans or some sort of flavoring for their coffee. You can get spoons that are covered in flavored chocolate that you can stir into your cup of coffee for an instant gourmet flavored coffee.

You can also look into different types of candy rather than the traditional heart shaped box of chocolates. You may find something like a cheesecake with chocolate shavings all over the top or a favorite flavored cake covered in will be pleasantly surprised with something different and it will show that you took the time to put some thought into the gift you choose rather than just making a pit stop at the local gas station.

Valentine's Day is about celebrating your love or feelings towards another and you want the gift you choose to reflect how you feel. If you are unsure of what to get, then take a look at what your partner likes to do. You can take his or her favorite hobby and make it into something sweet with chocolate. You can go with chocolate covered strawberries and champagne or you can choose to go with the coffee idea, the choice really depends on what you and your partner like to do.

The ultimate chocolate indulgence is a gift of handcrafted chocolate. The French are known for their superb wines and exquisite cuisine. French chocolate is no exception: it is chocolate in its purest form without preservatives and fat other than the natural cocoa butter. Chocolate selection is handmade by world champion French chocolatiers using 400 year old passionate tradition and zealous adherence to purity.

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Valentine Gift Ideas For Friends

It's really easy to choose valentine gift for husbands or boyfriends or men in general. Oh yes despite what you may think, it isn't hard at all. If you know your man you can find the perfect valentine gift; even if your relationship is young you can pick up certain qualities that can help you to figure out great valentine gift ideas for guys. Here are some tips to find that special present that will appeal to the special man in your life.

The Romantic

If your guy is a romantic you can have a ball with valentines day. For indeed isn't that the day that romance must be celebrated? And that is what should guide you. Celebrate romance with your mate by giving him a gift you can both enjoy. There are tons of romantic ideas out there you can start from the traditional romantic gift baskets with edible goodies, sexy coupons and a nice bottle of wine to the more unique idea like his own personal magazine with him as valentine cover boy for the day. You could even go with homemade valentine gifts for this category, like writing your own fantasy novel (just a few pages) with you and him as the main characters and self publishing it and presenting it on the great day. Of course nothing says romance like a lovely dinner followed by some fun in the bedroom. You can jump start this by cooking him a sumptuous meal or ordering in from gourmet send a meal stores that are available online. Give him erotic gifts like sexy videos or games so that he knows the day is meant for sexy fun.

The Practical

This is the guy who values useful gifts. So give them to him. He doesn't want fluff he wants substance. You can find practical gifts with a flair to cater to his needs. If he needs a watch give him a silver plated pocket watch or a watch money clip. If he needs some tools give him a special multi tool with flashlight or a stainless steel multi function pocket knife in flashy red wrapping paper. If he needs a cooler for his fishing trips, give him a personalized deluxe cooler. If he needs some new tees, give him some organic graphic tees. If he needs a place to store his valuables give him a vintage wood storage case. If he has a hobby give him something related to his hobby eg. gardener - bonsai tree. You get the picture, useful but snazzy.

The Liberal

If you have a guy who is willing to try something new then again you can have a ball. Since it is valentines day, get your guy something different that will make you have a day to remember. If he has never worn thongs or g-strings, now is the time to try them out. Get him the kama sutra dvd so that you can both try some new moves to add some excitement and spice to your valentine love night. No tattoos, get him an appointment at the tattoo parlour for a hot tattoo expressing your love. Never tried a strip club? That is where you will both go that night. Always wanted to see what he looked like blond? Make an appointment for him at the colorist. You only live once.

The Geek

This one truly deserves special attention for in this rapidly changing world there are more and more of them around. This guy will love a gift that no one else can figure out. He will love you if you got him a binary clock so that he alone can tell the time. You could also allow him to relive the last James Bond film by getting him a spy pen camera. He must be different from the rest so don't just let him have a camera in his phone, you can get him a spy camera video watch. He loves music? Get him some ridiculously miniature speakers that fill the room with sound. Is he an iPod freak, why not please him with some video googles and let his favorite tv shows float right before his eyes.

You see it wasn't hard. All it requires is a little knowledge and a bit more creativity. You will have lots of fun at the pleasure of cupid when you surprise your sexy guy with these truly personal valentine gift from the heart. Even if it's at the last minute, don't panic just remember who your guy is and the ideas will flow.

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Beautiful Flowers Are Always There When Valentine's Day

How Valentine's Day evolved is a fascinating story. In early Roman times, the Roman Feast of Lupercalia was a celebration of pagan fertility held on February 14 that honored the Queen of Oman known as Juno, the Roman gods and goddesses, as well as the goddess of marriage and women. During the celebrations, women would write special love letters and place the letters in an urn. The men would then retrieve a letter from the urn and passionately court the woman who wrote the particular love letter.

The most well known origin of Valentine's Day comes from a 3rd century Roman priest by the name of Valentine. Against the explicit orders of Emperor Claudius II, Valentine performed secret marriages. The Emperor prohibited marriages because he thought that unmarried soldiers were more apt to enlist in his army. Valentine was caught and sentenced to death. The story says that Valentine conveyed a letter to a friend which was signed 'From Your Valentine' just prior to his execution on February 14 in 270 A.D. In 496 A.D., in honor of St. Valentine as the patron saint of lovers, Pope Gelasius named St. Valentine's Day on February 14th. Ever since that time, people all over the world have been celebrating Valentines Day.

Flowers have become a staple of Valentines Day. The rose as a symbol of love, is the most widely used flower to give someone on Valentine's Day, especially the traditional bouquet of a dozen red roses. Over the years there have an increase in the diversity of flowers chosen for the special day. Different types of roses include multi-colored roses, white roses, red roses, yellow roses, long stemmed roses, pink roses, and special valentine roses. Other types of flowers now chosen include: carnations, lilies, hyacinths, crocuses, buttercups, tulips, and daisies. Men will send a beautiful bouquet of flowers to their special sweetheart. When giving Valentine flower as gifts to men, popular colors of flowers include purple, orange, and red. Women love such colors as red, lavender, peach, and pink.

By giving a flower to your special loved one, you are expressing how you feel about that person. The choice of Valentine's Day flowers will depend on the sentiments you want to express.

For instance, a red rose expresses strong feelings and love. Lilac roses are a symbol of love at first sight. Peach Pink rose is a symbol of gratitude, sympathy, gentleness and friendship. Red Roses and White Roses mixed in a bouquet means truth and love, union and harmony, or true love. Lily means that one is a nurturing person. A red carnation means admiration. A white Carnation means pure love, faithfulness, innocence, and sweet and lovely. Chamomile/Golden Marguerite/Anthemis means cheerfulness and friendship. Iris means promise in love, wisdom, faith, and hope. Purple Lilac means the first emotions of love. Ambrosia means love is reciprocated. Pink Camellia means longing for you. White Chrysanthemum means truth and loyal love. Forget-Me-Not means true love, hope, and memories. Gloxina means love at first sight. Pansy means the recipient is being thought about warmly. Yellow and orange roses being mixed together means passionate thoughts. A yellow tulip means hopeless love.

Valentines Day is a day to let that special someone how you feel. Giving valentine flower to your loved one is a thoughtful and romantic way to share your sentiments.

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