Valentine’s Day Gifts for Writers

Valentine’s Day is upon us again. We don’t make a big deal of Valentine’s Day at our house, but we do like to acknowledge it.

For me, that means last-minute scrambling to get my kids something to place next to their plates at dinner (every year, it’s as if Valentine’s Day sneaks up on me. It’s the 14th this year, in case you weren’t aware). We are trying to get away from the habit of buying “stuff,” so gift cards for food and movies are usually the gifts of choice. The kids seem to like those things better than “stuff,” anyway.

My daughter, Carolyn, though, will be receiving a care package of chips and candy. Value of the items: $15. Cost to send it to her in England: $52. I would have sent an electronic gift card if I’d known it would be that expensive.

I realize that lots of people love Valentine’s Day and they like to make a big deal of it. With that in mind, I’ve compiled some Valentine’s Day gift ideas for the writer in your life:

1. A professional massage. I got one for Christmas (thanks again to you-know-who-you-are) and boy, does it help get out those kinks writers get from spending too many hours hunched over a keyboard.
2. A gift card to a bookstore. Writers love to read! Most of them would love nothing more than the opportunity to spend an hour browsing through a bookstore. A real bookstore. But for those of you who don’t have a bookstore nearby, a gift card to an online book retailer is just as nice.
3. A fancy pen. You know, for book signings.
4. A fancy journal. For all the ideas writers have to write down before they forget.
5. Time. Do some housework for the writer in your life, or get the car inspected, or whatever you have to do, to give your writer some time alone. And please tell them they can’t spend that time writing. They have to spend it doing something else they love. Like browsing in a bookstore or getting a massage.
6. A house in the mountains. With a view. (It doesn’t hurt to dream).

How do you feel about Valentine’s Day? Love it? Hate it? No opinion? How do you plan to celebrate this year?

Until next time,

Amy