Simple Ideas for Valentine’s Day Gifts

by Allison Cayse
For The Post

Valentine’s Day is almost here and for many Ohio University students without a great deal of money or time, getting a gift for that special person can be difficult. However, this Feb. 14 need not be a headache; a little thought and effort are all that is needed for a great Valentine’s Day gift.

For Mary Anne Marck, an OU sophomore studying art, Valentine’s Day is her favorite holiday. This year, she is making a coupon book and photo album for her boyfriend.

Marck got the idea for the coupon book, which she designed on her computer, one night when she and her boyfriend were sitting around and could not think of anything to do. In the book she has coupons for a back rub, a milkshake at the restaurant where they had their first date and a trip to the zoo.

"Now when we don’t know what to do, we can just pull out the coupon book and pick," she said.

For the photo album, Marck used some black construction paper, cardboard, paint and ribbon. Inside she pasted photographs and other small mementos from different dates and places they have gone together.

Marck’s roommate, OU sophomore Shanah Hammock, also said gifts are better when they have a personal touch. Last year for Valentine’s Day, Hammock's boyfriend gave her a homemade CD. On it were songs that reminded him of her or had a special meaning to both of them.

"It was cool that he took the time to think of all those different songs; I mean, he even remembered the theme song to our junior prom," she said.

Johannes Freudenberg, an exchange student from Leipzig, Germany, said Valentine’s Day is too commercialized. This Wednesday will be his first time celebrating the holiday in America. He said he would prefer receiving something from the heart, rather than a store-bought card with someone else’s ideas.

OU sophomore Barbara Cates also said she tries to be creative. For one Valentine’s Day she decorated a Chinese food take-out box. Then she took some fortune cookies and using tweezers, replaced the paper fortunes with reasons why she loved her boyfriend. She filled the decorated take-out box with the cookies.

Cates said her favorite present from her boyfriend was a pair of barrettes that he made using his little sister’s jewelry-making kit.

"I know it sounds cheesy," she said, "but it really is the thought that counts. I know it must have taken him forever to make those little things."

Even a home-cooked dinner can be a solution to the gift dilemma. Nick Haynes, 23, a recent OU graduate, said one of the best times he had with his girlfriend was when they stayed home together, and she made him dinner.

" I hate to cook and so it really meant a lot to me when she came over and made me dinner."

Whether it is a romantic dinner at home, a personalized CD or a photo album, these OU students said the gift is not what really matters, but rather the thought that went into it.