Valentine’s Day is my total guilty pleasure. I love the holiday and strongly feel that it really should be celebrated as a three-day weekend — in the spirit of love.

I know most guys are pretty sore about the day but I’m not sure why. It’s the one time a year that it’s actually easy to shop for your special lady: chocolates, flowers (try peonies), lingerie, done! And a nice poem in a pretty card — extra bonus points for a handmade card (but if that’s too much effort, Papyrus will do).

It’s more of a challenge to buy for that special guy. The gift needs to hit that sweet spot of expressing love without too much sap and without too much cheese. A great Valentine’s gift for my man will show him that I’ve taken the time to study him and to buy him something he will truly cherish. It’s something that he didn’t even know he needed but, once he has it, he realizes that he absolutely cannot live without it.

For the first Valentine’s that the hubs and I celebrated together, I custom framed a couple of his photography shots (which I had made into giclée prints) because from the couple visits to his office I had made in our first month of dating, I found his bare walls all too depressing. Now his office walls are always looking beautiful and I know he takes pride in that.

This year is our fourth Valentine’s Day and I’m inspired to find a truly memorable gift. As shown above, the finalists are:

1. Nixon Watches: The Rubber Player
2. Nixon Watches: The District
3. Nikka Yoichi Whisky
4. Suntory Hibiki Whisky
5. Ray-Ban Clubmaster Sunglasses
6. Furbish: Gold Razor Holders
7. J. Crew: The Hill-side Chambray Tie
8. J. Crew: Chambray Bow Tie
9. Zara: Monk Strap Shoe
10. Zara: Briefcase with Metallic Handle
11. Jura Single Malt Whisky

I know what I’m leaning toward but it’s yet to be determined if I can pull it off only a couple days out from the day. So enough typing — I really should be out shopping. xx