10 Not Your Usual Valentine Gifts For Your Wife

<p>It can be as simple as transplanting a sapling in your backyard. Or you can go all out by taking her on a field trip to the Haribon Foundation or Trees for the Future. Either way, planting a tree is not only great for the environment, it’s also a lasting monument to your love. Throw in a little extra and attach a plaque to your sapling as an extra dedication and have a little celebration with a picnic basket afterwards.</p><p> <em>Photo from <a title="http://www.sxc.hu/photo/494357" target="_blank" href="http://www.sxc.hu/photo/494357">sxc.hu</a> </em> </p>

Baguio, Tagaytay and Hong Kong are all great places to take someone out for a weekend getaway. But if you want to try something adventurous, and your lady is game for some adrenaline, take her to <a title="www.treetopadventuresubic.com" target="_blank" href="www.treetopadventuresubic.com">Treetop Adventure in Subic</a> for some outdoor fun!  It’s a combination of nature park with some extreme sports thrown in, all very safe and managed by highly competent guides. Zip along suspension cables, walk along huge trees and rappel down several stories for a wild and unforgettable theme park-like experience.   <br /><br /><em>Photo from <a title="http://www.flickr.com/photos/34036018@N05/3172533407" target="_blank" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/34036018@N05/3172533407">flickr.com</a></em> <br /><br />

I got this little nugget from the movie The Santa Clause, the idea that anyone, no matter how old, will still appreciate a toy they always wanted but never got while they were children. For my wife, it was having a Disney Cinderella Castle and an X-Wing starfighter from Star Wars. She cried when I brought them back as a surprise from a trip abroad. Try to find out what your spouse always wanted as a little girl. Although lots of toys from twenty or thirty years ago are no longer being manufactured, toy companies do re-releases and many antique toys (some even in their original packaging) are always being hawked on eBay.<br /><br /><em>Photo from <a title="http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1330421" target="_blank" href="http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1330421">sxc.hu</a></em> <br /><br />

Lunch and dinner dates can be overrated and a headache to set up on Valentine’s Day, what with all the other boyfriends and husbands running around taking every available table in every good restaurant in the city.  You can beat the rush if you and your lady are early risers – take her out for a fancy breakfast.  Many top tier bistros and eateries offer fantastic breakfasts for the jogging, tai-chi-ing early bird crowd.  Alternatively, if you have the skill (or a good hidden refrigerator to hide all the take out), whip up a good breakfast and serve it in a nice tray with flowers just as she’s about to wake up.<br /><em><br />Photo from <a title="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thenextweb/3334965012/" target="_blank" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thenextweb/3334965012/">flickr.com</a></em> <br /><br />

Many women love a good, thorough foot massage. You can learn proper techniques on <a title="http://www.youtube.com/" href="http://www.youtube.com/">youtube.com</a> or <a title="http://learnfootmassage.com/" target="_blank" href="http://learnfootmassage.com/">learnfootmassage.com</a>. Simply prepare some lotions, baby oils, a small basin of warm water and a comfy chair or sofa for her to sit on. When she gets home, ready a small hand towel for her face and keep a stereo or MP3 player with headphones on hand with her favorite soft, relaxing music. You know you did a thorough job if she drifts off into La La Land.  Don’t make fun of her snoring after.<em><br /><br />Photo from <a title="http://www.sxc.hu/photo/882274" target="_blank" href="http://www.sxc.hu/photo/882274">sxc.hu</a></em> <br /><br />

<p>A scrapbook makes a very personal tangible gift. For a physical scrapbook, gather souvenirs that you consider significant (i.e. a matchbook from the restaurant you took her on your first date, actual snapshots, birthday cards), then label them according to date and put in a tiny note or witty comment about it. Get friends to help you if you find this project overwhelming. <br /><br />The virtual version of this is a bit easier to compile – technically, that’s what <a title="http://www.facebook.com" target="_blank" href="http://www.facebook.com">Facebook</a> is for. If your partner isn’t fond of posting photos or videos, you can use websites like smilebox.com or aisledash.com to help you. You can also search Google for scrapbook-making software. The best deal is available for Mac users as iPhoto has a sleek, elegant idiot-proof system for putting together a good virtual photo album.<br /><em><br /></em></p><p><em>Photo from <a title="http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1329481" target="_blank" href="http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1329481">sxc.hu</a></em> <br /><br /></p>

For the avid romance reader, this is a unique gift that trumps anything else. At <a title="http://www.yournovel.com/" target="_blank" href="http://www.yournovel.com/">yournovel.com</a>, you can have your very own romance novel written custom-made for you and the lady in your life. Simply accomplish the complex questionnaire and choose what options you want for your novel. Choose from more than thirty different titles in exotic locales and interesting situations.  Take note that this requires quite a bit of time (at least 3-7 days for delivery) so get this done way ahead of time.  Your.novel.com charges between $49.95 - $119.95+, not including shipping.<br /><em><br />Photo from <a title="http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1137562" target="_blank" href="http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1137562">sxc.hu</a></em> <br /><br />

For a wife who spends a lot of time on the road, here’s a little trinket you can come up with. Put together a collection of MP3s of her favorite songs and burn them onto a CD. Record a simple heartfelt message or a love poem onto the first track and load it into the car cd player. Alternatively, you can upload and arrange her favorite songs on her iPod or portable MP3 player and leave your love note at the beginning of the playlist – just make sure it’s not on Shuffle mode or she might not hear your note.<br /><br /><em>Photo from <a title="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mac_users_guide/3677962730/" target="_blank" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mac_users_guide/3677962730/">flickr.com</a></em> <br /><br />

Show your girl what a good sport you are. Put together a movie date in the house (just the two of you – leave the kids with the lolas), decorate the living room with throw pillows, scented candles and soft rugs or blankets, and put in the movie that she really likes that you’re not too fond of. She’ll appreciate the gesture of you quietly, stoically enduring the mushy parts of the movie and she’ll enjoy the ambiance you put together. Here’s a tip – sparkling white wine or Champagne goes very well with popcorn.<br /><em><br />Photo from <a title="http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1215934" target="_blank" href="http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1215934">sxc.hu</a></em> <br /><br />

If your wife is the homemaker, then this is a gift she will really appreciate. <br /><br />Make sure your spouse is away for several hours or overnight if you want to pull this one off. Clean up everything, get rid of the white elephants in your storage area, take care of some spring cleaning, rearrange the furniture, water the plants, cook dinner for her.  If you haven’t a clue, get some help from her sister, best friend or mom so you can make your home look clean enough to eat off the floor.  Putting together a nice dinner with drinks afterward will be a fitting nightcap to it.  <br /> <em><br />Photo from <a title="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Man_washing_dishes.jpg" target="_blank" href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Man_washing_dishes.jpg">commons.wikimedia.org</a></em> <br /><br />