In today’s world of over consumption and the commercialization of EVERY holiday and celebration known to man, it’s hard to gift without contributing to the problem. It seems that everywhere you turn your’re bombarded with ads enticing you to buy gifts for your loved ones.
While there’s nothing wrong with wanting to spoil your sweetie on February 14th, you might be looking for other romantic ways to express your feelings that don’t involve buying a new product.
One of my passions is sustainability, so today I’m going to give you five easy sustainable gift ideas that will bring out the inner romantic in you, and hopefully your Valentine!
Write a Love Poem
Okay, this first one is obvious, and simple. Who can resist the gift of words that come straight from the heart? A hand-written love poem is just the thing to get your love interest (or crush) thinking about you.
When my husband and I were first dating, I wrote him a poem on a piece of paper that I made to look like an old piece of parchment by tearing away the edges. I filled the bottom of a tiny glass bottle with some sand and rolled the poem up and stuck it inside.
If you have access to a typewriter, you could give your poem a cool vintage aesthetic by typing it out on some old paper. Add some allure by spritzing some perfume or cologne on it and slipping it in the mail. Keep it intriguing and sign it from a Secret Admirer!
Buy Used Books
If you’re no Byron, Shelley, or Keats, another poetic idea is to visit your local used book store to find some poems penned by a pro. Your feelings are sure to be captured by one or more of the pages. Place a pretty ribbon or two to mark the ones that strike your fancy. On Valentine’s Day, you could even up your game by reading them out loud. Swoon!
Is your Valentine into astronomy? Crystals? Gardening? There are probably used books out there in your local shops on any topic and hobby imaginable. This fine specimen from my local used book store caught my eye. It’s called The Poetry of Nature and it was published in 1868. It’s described as:
“A charming collection of poetical pieces dealing with nature’s flora and fauna by better and lesser known poets such as Wordsworth, Leyden, Cowper, Coleridge, Ben Johnson, Weir himself, and others.”
Give Them Flowers
I do love a nice bouquet of flowers, even from the local grocery store. However, I’m not suggesting the live cut kind that tend to cost an arm and a leg around this time of year.
Instead, give them thrifted gifts that have flowers ON them! Some beautiful options are vintage linen tea towels or monogrammed hankies. Antique stores are usually gold mines for vintage linens like these. One of my absolute favorite things to do is to spend lots of time looking through the bins and baskets filled with hankies.
If you are lucky enough to find one with your intended’s initial on it, consider finding two more that compliment it to make a nice little trio.
While you’re at the book store looking for those poems I was suggesting earlier, browse the cooking and gardening section too! The chef or gardener in your life would be pleased to receive an old book about cottage gardens or how to use spices and herbs in their cooking.
Did you know that vanilla, cinnamon, mint, rosemary, sage, and thyme are among those that have aphrodisiac properties? Now that’s some interesting food for thought!
Take Them to Tea
Of course, you don’t have to buy a gift to show someone you care about them. Why not spend some time with them instead? Invite them over for tea or, even better, scout out a local tea room and make a reservation for two. Who wouldn’t want to spend the afternoon sipping on herbaceous teas and nibbling on tea sandwiches and scones?
Tea Rooms are lovely places to take a friend for some quality time. So, if you don’t have a Valentine, maybe you and a friend could split the bill and focus on catching up and “spilling the tea”.
Bake Them Something Tasty
Speaking of baked goods, another option is to give the gift of home-baked treats like cupcakes or cookies. The direct route to many people’s heart is by way of their stomach. Ask me how I know. You could go all out and make some fancy heart-shaped sugar cookies with royal icing or keep it simple with a batch of my personal favorites, good old chocolate chips.
If baking is not your thing, don’t worry! Here’s another opportunity to support your local businesses or small mom & pop shops. Stop in to see your local bakery or search your town’s social media pages for aspiring bakers killing it with their side hustle. A friend of mine bakes royal iced sugar cookies like the ones pictured and she also makes kits that you could buy to decorate with your date! How fun would that be?
I hope that I’ve inspired you to shop more sustainably this Valentine’s Day. Whichever way you choose to celebrate this year, may it be as sweet as you. Thanks for reading! Comment down below and tell me about your most romantic gesture. Or, tell me about a sustainable gift idea you came up with for your Valentine!
As Always, Stay Cozy
Mandy
