Hottest Valentine's Gifts

We've only just welcomed in the New Year and already our minds are turning to the more important matters in hand...namely LOVE!!

With Valentine's Day literally around the corner, what you buy for your loved one this year could literally make or break your relationship! So, you really don't want to get this wrong. The trouble is that men and women rarely see eye to eye when it comes to buying gifts at this time of the year.

Most men go out shopping for Valentine's Day presents with the word "SEX" emblazoned on their minds. Women, on the otherhand just want to feel LOVED. They want ROMANCE. They do not want to be handed crotchless underwear!

So, with your mind firmly set on ROMANCE, here are some do's and don'ts for buying your loved one their Valentine's gift this year!

Whatever you do, do not buy a food processor, bread maker, new iron etc etc for Valentine's Day, no matter how much your other half has said that she wants one.

I mean to say, how romantic is a set of saucepans?

Following on from these practical gifts, probably the next worst "romantic-less" present you could give is a gift card. It shows no imagination and screams that you really couldn't be bothered!

Always a safe bet IF you know which perfume to get!

I remember one year, my ex-husband bought me some perfume for Valentine's Day. Great, I thought.

At that time, I had only ever worn one particular brand of perfume, from the age of 15, which was by Givenchy.

So, imagine my surprise when I opened the box to discover Chanel No. 5 inside!

His reason?

Because it smelt nice on the sales assistant!!!

As much as it pains me to say this, primarily due to the cost of flowers on Valentine's Day, you should always buy fresh flowers. The red rose is the traditional flower of love although you can incorporate this in a bouquet with complementary flowers and foliage.

If at all possible, try and arrange for the flowers to be delivered to your partner's place of work. If they don't work, then to their home. You wouldn't believe the buzz that these Valentine's Day gift deliveries can generate. It is a great feeling to receive a call from reception to say that some flowers have been delivered for you, especially if you are not expecting it!

You can also purchase a combi gift to be delivered. This usually includes flowers with a soft toy, chocolates, wine or champagne.

Unless there is some underlying medical reason for not buying real flowers, never, ever buy artificial flowers.

When it comes to chocolates, I always feel that less is more!

Don't go buying some jumbo size box of everyday chocolates. You would be far better off investing your money in a handful of handmade, luxury chocolates.

To be fair, you can't go far wrong if you buy a nice piece of jewelry. If it contains diamonds, or other gem stones, then even better! Nonetheless, be sensible and don't spend more than you can realistically afford. Small gestures throughout the year count for far more than this one extremely commercialised day!

Before you commit to your purchase, however, I should add a note of caution about presenting jewelry on Valentine's Day.

Remember, Valentine's Day is traditionally a day for marriage proposals.

If you and your partner are unwed, possibly one of the cruelest things you could do, albeit unwittingly, is hand across a ring shaped box, only for it to contain a pair of earrings. Please, don't do it!

Additionally, if you do actually hand across a diamond ring to your woman, don't be surprised if she instantly views it as a marriage proposal.

If your budget stretches to diamonds and you are not yet ready to commit, then I suggest you stick with earrings and/or a necklace. Just remember to make sure that the box doesn't look as if it contains a ring.

Ok, I know that Valentine's Day is for lovers, but please, buying tacky red underwear is just simply not going to pass muster. (By the way, I'm not implying all red underwear is tacky, just the stuff that men seem to turn up with at this time of year...where do they get it from?!)

If you absolutely must buy lingerie then the first thing you need to be sure of is your partner's sizing. Don't assume that your partner is the still the same size as when you first got together.

Also, don't forget that childbirth has a way of altering a woman's body shape, so please check the sizing on lingerie that you know your partner wears on a regular basis. Then write down the sizes somewhere safe!

Now, totally contradicting my earlier statement about not buying practical gifts, I would be more inclined to buy lingerie that affords the wearer some degree of comfort. It can still look great and your partner will be more inclined to wear it more often.

I probably shouldn't have to say this, but please don't go out and buy your woman any sex toys for Valentine's Day. Try and focus on LOVE not lust. The latter will follow naturally if your woman feels valued and appreciated.

Well, I truly hope this hub has given you a little insight into what not to buy for Valentine's Day. If you do run into problems, these hubs may be of some help to you!

No Contact Rule After Breakup - Discover the best method to get your partner back!

Partner Adding Women Friends On Facebook – My honest account of how Facebook has impacted on my relationship.

Facebook Rules For Couples - How to prevent your relationship becoming another Facebook statistic.