Red = Valentine’s Gifts 2


My friend, Jim, on his blog, Wrinkled Man, wrote the following short poem/thought on 2.05.2010:


Love without money only goes so far. Money without love goes bad.

It seems an appropriate poem to start this piece on affordable red-themed gifts for Valentine’s Day.  I got to thinking about Valentine’s Day gifts because of the link to a post on BlogHer.com about gifts for men.  I made a couple of suggestions on that post and that got me to thinking. 


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While Valentine’s is a “made-up holiday” as my mother puts it, .I enjoy it  I always try to do something creative in my gift-giving, making sure the color r e d is involved. (This is usually in addition to preparing a special, romantic dinner.) 


I’ve now been married for five years.  In those first years, I bought the usual things for my husband:



  • Red boxer shorts (silk one time, cotton another)
  • Red pajamas
  • Red flannel shirt
  • Red sweater
  • Red socks (uh, no, I wouldn’t do that to him!) 

I have begun brainstorming gifts for him this year (many of which would also be appreciated by women – especially reasonable women like me who don’t have to have expensive gifts but do ask that the gifts are thoughtful and appropriate for me).  But, I digress.  Here’s my brainstorm of red-themed gifts for Valentine’s Day.  They are very affordable and while they may not be the main gift, they are certainly great accompaniments to it.



  • A brilliant red bottle of Relax Cool Red Wine.
  • Jar of red M and Ms or red licorice or any other red candy.
  • Red velvet cupcakes (or a whole cake)
  • Red union jack suit.
  • V-8 juice (or tomato juice).
  • Red tea kettle accompanied with an assortment of red teas
  • A caboodle of Heinz’s and other ketchups.
  • Photo-album bound in red leather (or pleather or cloth) with some photos of you.
  • red picture frame – bonus if it’s shaped like a heart.
  • Red ink pad and assorted stamps (heart shapes, initial, cupid, etc.)
  • Red bandana (love men wearing red bandanas – add a utility belt for good measure).
  • An assortment of red juices:  cranberrycherry, pomegranate, tropical punch.
  • Red candles.
  • Hot sauce – an assortment.
  • Roget’s Thesaurus (it nearly always has a red cover).
  • Red markers, stickers, etc. (for your little man, i.e., a young son).
  • A jump rope with red handles to get the heart-rate going.
  • red wig (for you – woman – not him, although he might appreciate it).
  • A red and white checkered tablecloth on which to enjoy a picnic lunch that you’ve prepared (later, when this winter weather breaks or have the picnic indoors).
  • A whole-mess of red beans and rice!
  • A love poem penned and read by you (okay that doesn’t count just ’cause read in the past-tense and red sound alike).

You get the picture – there’s a whole world of red out there just waiting to be eased into this theme.  And the most important gifts of all is an acknowledgement of love.  In theory we do this in some way every day, still, it’s nice to get a gift and it feels lovely to be acknowledged on this holiday.


Happy Valentine’s Day.

Another Valentine’s Post you might enjoy:  Cupid is Stupid.  You may also like this post, Gifts Do Not Equal Love & Other Observations about Holidays.


About Candelaria Silva

Candelaria Silva-Collins is a marketing, community outreach and programming consultant; writer; and trainer/facilitator who lives in Boston, Massachusetts. She has designed and facilitated workshops on a wide variety of topics including communication, facilitation, job search skills, team building, and parenting issues. She currently coordinates the Community Membership Program of the Huntington Theatre Company. Her work as Director of ACT Roxbury was profiled in several publications, including The Creative Communities Builders Handbook. Candelaria’s children’s stories, short stories, essays and reviews have been published in local and national publications and she is an active blogger. Her publications include the booklets, Handling Rejection; Pushing through Shyness: Networking Tips when You’re Shy, Slow to Warm Up or Just don’t Feel you Belong; and Real Questions about Sex & Relationships for Teens: A Discussion Guide for Parents. She has served on the boards of Goddard College, Wheelock Family Theatre, Boston Foundation for Architecture, and Discover Roxbury. She is currently Chair, Designators of the Henderson Foundation.

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