Valentine’s Day Gift Guide for Every Love Language

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Love is in the air! With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, it is the perfect time to express affection and appreciation for those who hold a special place in our hearts—whether they are a significant other, platonic friend, or family member you care about. As we all know, love can be expressed in many forms, and understanding the unique ways each of your loved ones expresses and receives love is the key to creating the most memorable moments. This idea is called a “love language,” originally coined by Gary Chapman around 1992. Since then, many people have used his teachings to better convey and communicate how they feel most loved, and consider others’ love languages when expressing love to them. 

This Valentine’s Day, we encourage you to think about the love languages before planning out an act of love for the people you care about. Whether the person’s love language is Words of Affirmation, Acts of Service, Receiving Gifts, Quality Time, or Physical Touch, this curated gift guide has something for just about everyone. 

Why are Love Languages Important? 

Before we jump right into the gift guide, let’s consider why love languages are so important. Just about everyone likes flowers and chocolate, right? So why not just stick to the basics and not think so much?

While most people will appreciate any gift or nicety, understanding and embracing a person’s particular love language makes things all the more personal. Just as each person is unique, so are their ways of expressing and receiving love. Recognizing and catering to your loved ones’ love languages show that you care enough to go the extra mile and do something special that you know will resonate with them. It’s all about the thought behind the gift, and how much effort you put into considering their needs.

Without further ado, check out this gift guide, centered around each of the 5 love languages! 

Words of Affirmation: People with words of affirmation as their love language cherish verbal expressions of love, appreciation, and support. Thoughtful and genuine words hold great importance for them. Some gift ideas that will win the heart of a words-of-affirmation partner are: 

• A Handwritten Poem or Letter: Crafting a heartfelt poem or letter that highlights how you feel about this person is bound to make your loved one’s heart melt. You can even frame this or press it in a book to keep it as a lasting keepsake. 
• “52 Reasons Why I Love You” Card Deck: Take a playing card deck and write 1 reason why you love this person on each of the cards. Then, hole-punch every card, and tie them together using yarn or ribbon to turn it into a flip-book they can keep forever. 
• Memory Jar: Take a mason jar and fill it with rolled-up pieces of paper, each with a fun or special memory the two of you share on it. Your partner can look back on these memories whenever they miss you or are feeling down. 

Acts of Service: Those who appreciate acts of service as their love language adore it when you make thoughtful gestures and help them out with tasks. You may be thinking that doing the dishes or laundry for your partner doesn’t exactly seem like a great Valentine’s gift. However, when you think outside of the box, there are plenty of acts of service you could provide for your partner that are more special, such as: 

• A Customized Coupon Book: Create a coupon book full of coupons your loved one can cash in for an act of service that you do for them, such as mowing the lawn, deep cleaning the house, running errands when they don’t feel like it, cooking them a fancy meal, etc. 

• A Meal Subscription Service: No matter how much someone likes to cook, grocery shopping will almost always feel like a time-consuming chore. Eliminate this service by getting your loved one a meal subscription service so they can spend less time and effort on grocery shopping and meal planning!
• Professional Cleaning Service: If you’ve noticed your loved one spending a bunch of time and energy on keeping the house clean and tidy, hire a professional cleaning service as a gift so they can get a break!

Receiving Gifts: This one sounds easy, doesn’t it? Although individuals with this love language appreciate receiving gifts, they will love a thoughtful gift even more. Consider a personal gift that takes effort to plan, such as: 

• Personalized Jewelry: Choose a piece of jewelry you think they’ll like, such as a necklace or watch, and customize it with their initials, birthstone, or a meaningful date. This takes a “normal” gift up another level!

• Custom Art: Commission a piece of art, like a painting or print, that reflects their interests or style. For example, you could commission a painting of the city they grew up in or an embroidery of their pet. 

• Handmade Gift: You may be under the false impression that people with a gift-giving language only appreciate gifts that hold monetary value. For most, this is not true. You can always make a DIY gift that is just as thoughtful, or even more thoughtful, than a gift you buy at a store. Consider knitting them a scarf, making them a personalized photo album, or painting them a custom piece of art. 

Quality Time: Individuals with this love language take meaningful experiences and dedicate time together very seriously. If your loved one thrives on quality time, consider the following gifts: 

• Weekend Trip: Plan a surprise weekend getaway or date to a destination they’ve always wanted to visit. Make sure you take care of all the details—what activities you’ll be doing, what to pack, and where to eat. Be sure to spend some quality time sharing happy moments on this trip. 

• Cooking Class: Book a cooking class, or any workshop, where you can enjoy your time together while learning something new. Once you pick up a new skill or hobby, you can continue practicing it together even when the class ends!
• Scavenger Hunt: Plan out a day-long scavenger hunt filled with fun clues and activities for you and your loved one to solve together. 

Physical Touch: Those with this love language find comfort and connection through physical gestures and closeness. Consider these gifts: 

• Custom Blanket: Create a customized blanket with specialized photos or designs that hold sentimental value. This is a gift the two of you can cuddle under for years to come!

• Couples Massage: Schedule a couple’s massage class where you can learn how to give each other professional massages. So relaxing!

• Dance Lessons: Take a dance lesson together and learn how to do a specific style of dance that interests you both. This fosters physical closeness and creates a bond through shared experiences. 

Remember, you don’t have to wait until Valentine’s Day to show your love through gifts. The effort you spend showering the people you care about with love will be appreciated all year round!

To discuss how therapy could help you during this season of your life, please contact me or schedule your free 15 minute consultation.

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