For centuries, loving gifts have been exchanged. In my “manly” opinion, women have always outdone the men when it comes to creative gift ideas. This awkward inequality is made apparent on most gift giving occasions. For Christmas or birthdays, guys seem to be clueless when it comes to choosing what the significant other might like. They don’t want to be caught up in the cliche stuff like red roses, chocolates, or a giant stuffed bears. That was what you were going to get her, wasn’t it?  We need to up our game with more personal and thoughtful choices.

Don’t worry, I have a list of 10 things that any girl would love for Valentine’s Day. 

• Chatbooks

As modern teenagers of our time, everyone has access to a camera, usually on smart phones. These photos are uploaded into social media applications such as Instagram, but not printed or framed.

Chatbook is a company that will take as many as 60 pictures of your choice and turn them into a beautiful photo album. Be mindful that it takes 2-4 days to create the photo book, and then up to 10 days for shipping, so do it now!

This is a great gift for your boyfriend or girlfriend. It shows depth and is something tangible filled with memories they can look at forever. The best part: it is only $8, but don’t tell your girlfriend that.

• Tickets

Experiences are some of the best gifts that you can give and share with your girlfriend. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend a Justin Bieber concert, but rather something that the two of you could enjoy together, unless you want to spend the whole night with thousands of teenage girls screaming in your ear.

Concert tickets aren’t the only type of tickets you can buy. Try to relate the ticket to events that she likes. It could be a sporting event, the theatre, or even a regular movie ticket. If you have a little more money to spend, there are some movie theaters that have an upscale experience–like reclining seats and gourmet food.

• Personalized Gifts

Cheat (Not on her). Get an idea on Pinterest or Etsy and make a gift by yourself.  You not only have to brainstorm and buy supplies, but it takes a little blood, sweat, and tears to piece together artistically. If you aren’t exactly a Monet or Van Gogh, you can buy a personalized gift that is engraved.  

• Road Trip

Long car rides can be romantic, provided you pick the right time to leave, sunrise or sunset, and the right soundtrack. My recommendation would be to leave early in the morning when the sun is rising, there’s little traffic, and some of your favorite “couples” music is playing. What girl can resist a waterfall?  Take her somewhere that has beautiful scenery and waterfalls like Great Falls, Cunningham Falls, or Swallow Falls.

• Photo shoots

Photo shoots are expensive, but they always leave you with the best quality pictures to frame or display as a gift to one another. Photographers are not cheap, but it is worth every penny in the end. “A photo is worth a thousand words.”

The alternative to an expensive photographer is what every common teenager is used to, taking selfies. You can make these selfies more creative by documenting everything you both do throughout the day.  Either the photo shoots or selfies can be put on Instagram, or even onto your next Chatbook.

• Baked Goods

Do you need something to spice up your expected roses and chocolates? Make her something that can go along with the ensemble: chocolate chip cookies, brownies, or even muffins can make the chocolates and roses look even better. Let’s be honest, girls think baking is sexy.

• Sincere Letters

Sincere  letters are always important when giving gifts and can make the gift that much more important. Buying a card from a store and leaving a personal note is one way to present a card.

Another way I would go about doing this is by making a personalized card and leaving room to write a long letter or poem that relates to something that she would enjoy. Don’t be afraid to get a little sappy.

• Romantic Dinner (Cook yourself)

Every girl likes a guy who can cook. Romantic dinners help to end the night of Valentine’s Day; although, be sure to keep the dinner simple. Stick with something like spaghetti or anything you can heat up, especially if you don’t know how to cook. The only tricky part about heating things up is remembering when they’re finished cooking.

End the dinner by turning on a movie either on Netflix or picking up a movie at Redbox beforehand.The best movie for this occasion would be the film, “Valentine’s Day,” or another romantic classic.

• CD (mix tape)

Music is a great gift because you can design your own playlist and relate it to different moods. Of course, you want to find a spontaneous way to give it to her, right? When you get a chance, take her for a drive in the car and pop the disk into your CD player. If you want to be cheesy, you can record a message at the beginning or end of the CD so that she knows it’s for her, some 1990’s advice.

• Jewelry

You can never go wrong with buying a girl jewelry. For a day like Valentine’s Day, the best kind of jewelry is a necklace or even earrings that go with the holiday. Buy jewelry with an emblem of a heart.