It’s valentine again, and it’s pretty safe to say that I’m freaking out here. Now that I made a pick with love and I finally got myself into a stable relationship (trust me, the journey has not been easy by any sense of the word), this month has been especially challenging because I have no idea what to get him.
Look, it’s not my fault. Blame love. I’ve not had a relationship in years, so let’s just say I’m a bit out of practice.
You might think it’s a trivial issue, but it actually isn’t
My fiancé is an amazing person and an even better gift giver. He knows what you need and gets it for you. I mean, he just has the whole gift thing on lock.
Now, when it comes to gift giving, there’s an implied pressure on the receiver to reciprocate with something even grander (or at the very least, something on the same level of grandeur).
It might not be too flamboyant, but sometimes it is more about the sentiment and intrinsic value of the gift as well as what it represents.
So let me drop a quick example.
Last year, he got me a laptop on my birthday. You might think it doesn’t necessarily hold any value, but I really needed it for work. That’s what made me love the gift even more.
But what did I get him? A pack of shirts.
I thought I hit the jackpot but on second thought, I could see that I missed the mark by quite a margin. Not that he didn’t appreciate the gift, but it wasn’t really something he needed (case and point; the shirts just keep picking dust in his wardrobe).
That experience taught me a vital lesson; Valentine’s Day is about love, and your gift should depict that as well- and what better way show love to someone than to give them something they’ll value? You might be tempted to go above and beyond, but it’s more about the gift and the receiver. Get your partner something he or she will appreciate and find god use for (and you can rest assured that every time they make use of it, they’ll be reminded of you and you’ll become even more endeared to them).
Another thing I learnt is the fact that the little things could actually matter a lot. You might not get your partner a material gift, but what you end up getting can still go a long way in improving the love between you both.
So now, back to my dilemma; what do I get my man?
Dahunsi Oyedele
Image: valentinegiftideas
