20 Valentine's Day gifts loved ones will cherish
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It's time to think about Valentine's Day, the most romantic holiday of the year. And according to the National Retail Federation’s latest survey, people plan to spend more on Valentine’s Day gifts this year compared to past years — consumers are expected to spend $25.9 billion in total during Valentine’s Day 2023, up from $23.9 billion in 2022 and one of the highest spending years on record, the NRF says.
SKIP AHEAD Valentine's Day gifts for loved ones | Sentimental gifts | Last minute gifts
Valentine’s Day is about showing your loved ones how much they mean to you, whether that’s your significant other, family members, friends or pets. If you’re looking for gift ideas, we rounded up options across various price points.
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Best Valentine’s Day gifts for loved ones in 2023
Below, we rounded up products you may want to consider gifting to any of the loved ones in your life this Valentine’s Day. We selected items from brands we’ve previously covered and included items we think you should know about. Remember to open as soon as possible to make sure products arrive by Feb. 14.
Homesick Love Letters Premium Scented Candle
Homesick’s Love Letters Candle is scented with notes of rose petals, jasmine, sandalwood, peony, lemon and red plum. The brand says it has a burn time between 60 to 80 hours and is made from a natural soy wax blend with a cotton wick. The candle comes in a gift box so it’s ready to be wrapped and given as a gift.
Homesick Love Letters Premium Scented Candle
Homesick Love Letters Premium Scented Candle $ at Amazon
Homesick Love Letters Premium Scented Candle $ at Nordstorm
Homesick Love Letters Premium Scented Candle $ at Macy's
Lego Icons Flower Bouquet
Instead of flowers that only last a few days, your Valentine can enjoy this Lego bouquet for years to come after they put it together with the included pieces. The set — which has a 4.9-star average rating from over 12,300 reviews on Amazon — comes with 756 Lego blocks and instructions to make 15 flowers like roses, poppies, daisies and more. You can also customize the flowers by pairing different leaves and petals, adjusting the stem length and more.
LEGO Icons Flower Bouquet
Compartés I Love You Luxury Chocolate Gift Box
Those with a sweet tooth can enjoy the look and taste of this limited-edition chocolate box from Compartés, which recently made Oprah’s list of Favorite Things. The box comes with 20 chocolate squares that spell out “I love you.”
Compartés I Love You Luxury Chocolate Gift Box
Compartés I Love You Luxury Chocolate Gift Box $ at Compartes
Luna Cotton Cooling Weighted Blanket
Experts told us a weighted blanket provides soothing pressure similar to a hug. Luna’s weighted blanket is filled with glass beads and comes in full, queen and king sizes, as well as weights between 12 and 30 pounds. The multi-layered, quilted blanket is covered in a cotton fabric and it’s machine-washable, the brand says. You can also purchase it in your loved ones favorite color like Tie Dye, Ivory, Mint Green, Light Grey and more.
Luna Cotton Weighted Blanket
Dash Express 8-Inch Heart Waffle Maker
Loved ones can use Dash’s mini waffle maker to whip up 8-inch heart-shaped waffles on Valentine’s Day — or better yet, you can use it to make them breakfast. The waffle maker’s nonstick heat plates makes it easy to remove cooked waffles and clean the surface afterwards. The mini appliance is also designed with anti-slip feet and heats up in minutes, the brand says.
Dash Express 8-Inch Heart Waffle Maker
Dash Express 8-Inch Heart Waffle Maker $ at Amazon
Dash Express 8-Inch Heart Waffle Maker $ at Target
Dash Express 8-Inch Heart Waffle Maker $ at Macy's
Le Creuset L’Amour Collection Mini Cocotte
Le Creuset’s L’Amour Collection offers a line of Valentine’s Day themed cookware in pink and red hues, as well as covered in heart-shaped details. The mini cocotte, which comes with a lid, is 5 ¼ inches wide and stands 2-inches tall — the brand says it has an 8 fluid ounce capacity. It’s available in red, white and pink and has illustrated hearts scattered across the exterior. The cocotte is made from stoneware and Le Creuset says it’s safe for temperatures between -9 and 500 degrees Fahrenheit. You can place the cocotte in the freezer, oven, microwave, broiler and dishwasher, according to the brand.
Le Creuset L’Amour Collection Mini Cocotte
Le Creuset L’Amour Collection Mini Cocotte $ at Amazon
Le Creuset L’Amour Collection Mini Cocotte $ at Le Creuset
Le Creuset L’Amour Collection Mini Cocotte $ at Williams Sonoma
Bean Box Perfectly Paired Coffee + Chocolate
Bean Box designed its coffee and chocolate set for two people to share, allowing them to explore flavor pairings together. The set comes with four coffees — you can choose between whole beans or freshly ground beans — and two chocolate bars, one milk chocolate and one dark chocolate. Tasting notes for pairings and coffee brewing instructions are included in the package.
Bean Box Perfectly Paired Coffee + Chocolate
Bean Box Perfectly Paired Coffee + Chocolate $ at Bean Box
Bonne Maman Ten Ways to Say I Love You
Bonne Maman’s Valentine’s Day gift box comes packed with 10 mini 1-ounce jars of jam. Assorted flavors include apricot, cherry elderflower, fig, grape, honey, orange marmalade, raspberry, wild blueberry and two types of strawberry.
Bonne Maman Ten Ways to Say I Love You
Bonne Maman Ten Ways to Say I Love You $ at Bonne Maman
Farm Steady Margherita Pizza Making Kit
Farm Steady’s Margherita Pizza Making Kit is an interactive DIY activity you and your loved one can do together on Valentine’s Day — you can even make heart-shaped pizza. The kit comes with ingredients and tools needed to make pizza dough and mozzarella cheese from scratch, plus directions to help you complete each step of the process. The brand says the kit includes enough ingredients to make two large pizza pies.
Farm Steady Margherita Pizza Making Kit
Farm Steady Margherita Pizza Making Kit $ at Farm Steady
Best sentimental Valentine’s Day gifts
Many people look for sentimental and thoughtful Valentine’s Day gifts to show those in their life how much they love them. Below, we rounded up a few gifts with that in mind — some items highlight loving messages while others allow you to personalize them or add your favorite photos.
Aura Carver Digital Picture Frame
Aura’s Wi-Fi-connected frame allows your loved ones to display their favorite images on the 10.1-inch screen. And before they even open the box, you can preload the frame with photos, videos and a gift message through the companion app. There’s unlimited storage so your Valentine never has to worry about running out of room for all their memories, and the frame automatically adjusts photo cropping and screen brightness as it swipes through content.
Aura Carver Smart Digital Picture Frame
Aura Carver Smart Digital Picture Frame $ at Amazon
Aura Carver Smart Digital Picture Frame $ at Bed Bath and Beyond
Aura Carver Smart Digital Picture Frame $ at Kohl's
Jiggy Puzzle Postcard
Jiggy’s Puzzle Postcard is an interactive, personalizable Valentine’s Day card you can mail to loved ones wherever they are. When you receive the postcard — which is a 24-piece puzzle — it comes assembled, allowing you to write a note on the back. Then, you’ll take apart the puzzle, pack them in the included envelope and mail it to your giftee. They’ll have to put the puzzle together to read your message upon receiving it. The puzzle postcard also comes with an adhesive sheet and magnetic strip that you’ll mail to your loved one, allowing them to preserve their masterpiece and display it.
Jiggy Puzzle Postcard
Jiggy Puzzle Postcard $ at Jiggy
Polaroid Go Instant Mini Camera
With the Polaroid Go Instant Mini Camera, your giftee can capture special moments and print them out almost instantly. The camera is small enough to hold with one hand and is built with a reflective mirror on the front, allowing you to ensure you’re in frame. It also has a self-timer and a double exposure feature. The camera — which comes in black, red and white — can only be used with Polaroid Go film.
Polaroid Go Camera
Yeti Rambler 20 oz. Tumblr
If you buy a Rambler through Yeti’s website, you can customize it by adding images or text to the front or back, like a heart, your loved one’s monogram, their favorite animal and more. The Rambler — which I sip coffee out of every morning on my way to work — is available in 10, 20 and 30-ounce sizes, and it’s cup holder compatible, according to the brand. The dishwasher-safe tumbler is made of stainless steel and is insulated to keep your beverages hot or cold for long periods of time. It also comes with a MagSlider Lid, further keeping drinks at their desired temperature, Yeti says. In addition to personalizing this gift with images as text, you can also choose from colors like Black, Nordic Purple, Alpine Yellow and more.
Yeti Rambler 20-Ounce Tumbler
Yeti Rambler 20-Ounce Tumbler $ at Amazon
Yeti Rambler 20-Ounce Tumbler $ at YETI
Yeti Rambler 20-Ounce Tumbler $ at DICK'S Sporting Goods
Knock Knock What I Love About You Book
Each page in this book offers a fill-in-the-blank prompt, giving you dozens of opportunities to tell a family member, friend or significant other why you love them. The hardcover book has 112 pages in total, and after you fill them all out, you can wrap the book and gift it to your loved one.
Knock Knock What I Love About You Book
Knock Knock What I Love About You Book $ at Amazon
Knock Knock What I Love About You Book $ at Uncommon Goods
Lovebox Color & Photo Love Note Messenger
The Lovebox is a connected messaging device that can help you feel closer to loved ones when you have to spend Valentine’s Day apart. After your giftee sets up their Lovebox, you can use the companion app to send text, photo, drawing or animation messages. When the message arrives, the heart on the device starts to turn. Your loved one can then open the lid of the Lovebox to see the message on the built-in mini screen, and if they turn the heart on the device, they can send you digital hearts in response. The Lovebox comes with the required cords to power the device.
Lovebox Color & Photo Love Note Messenger
Lovebox Color & Photo Love Note Messenger $ at Amazon
Lovebox Color & Photo Love Note Messenger $ at Uncommon Goods
Lovebox Color & Photo Love Note Messenger $ at Saks Fifth Avenue
Best last minute Valentine’s Day gifts
RetailMeNot’s 2022 Valentine’s Day survey found that 30% of shoppers buy their gifts the week of the holiday and 10% wait until Feb. 14. If you tend to shop last minute, here are a few gift options you can get quickly.
Amazon eGift Card
Despite your best efforts, it can be challenging to think of something specific to get your Valentine. In these cases, a gift card always does the trick. It allows them to purchase something they’ve had their eye on and you can send digital gift cards directly to their inbox in minutes. Amazon offers a handful of e-gift cards with Valentine’s Day themed designs and you can add any amount to the card. The retailer allows you to choose if you’d like the gift card delivered via email or text message, and you can add a personalized gift message.
Amazon eGift Card
Amazon eGift Card $ at Amazon
Bronx Zoo Name A Roach
Want to elicit a laugh from the person you’re gifting to? Every year, the Bronx Zoo hosts its “Name A Roach” fundraiser for the Wildlife Conservation Society, giving you the chance to name Madagascar hissing cockroach after your loved one in exchange for a $15 donation. You can fill out a form online to make the donation and tell the zoo what the roach’s name is. On Valentine’s Day, your loved one will get a digital certificate emailed to them, letting them know that a roach is officially named after them.
Bronx Zoo Name a Roach
Bronx Zoo Name a Roach $ at Bronx Zoo
New York Times Cooking Membership
As someone who loves to cook and bake, one of the best gifts I’ve ever been given is a New York Times Cooking membership. A gift subscription gives the recipient one year of unlimited access to the platform's recipes, a digital recipe box to save favorites to, guides and videos teaching you how to cook and more. When you buy the subscription, you’ll provide the giftee’s name and email address, plus a personalized message. You can also schedule when you want the gift emailed to your loved one (including that day if you’re really pressed for time).
New York Times Cooking Subscription
New York Times Cooking Subscription $ at New York Times
Groupon Get Moon Land
If your Valentine has always dreamed of going to space, they’ll appreciate you buying them a plot of land on the moon. Groupon allows you to purchase 5, 10, 20, 50 or 100 acres of moon land, and your loved one will get a moon deep and map pointing out their plot mailed to them. The gift also comes with a digital certificate of registration and virtual moon atlas software, in addition to a moon boarding pass, infographic, facts ebook and photo ebook.
Groupon Get Moon Land
Groupon Get Moon Land $ at Groupon
One Tree Planted Plant Trees Where They’re Needed Most
One Tree Planted — an environmental charity — allows you to gift trees, which will be planted around the world in areas facing deforestation. $1 equals one tree planted, and you can gift as many as you’d like. When you “give the gift of trees,” as the brand says, you’ll fill out a form with the recipient's email address and a gift message, as well as specify when you’d like the gift sent to their inbox. They’ll receive a tree certificate along with a digital card.
One Tree Planted - 20 Trees
One Tree Planted - 20 Trees $ at One Tree Planted
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