Article by: Ethan Long

Valentine’s Day is coming up, and everybody who knows me knows that I’m always the one to give great relationship advice. Ever since I can remember, love has been my main drive in life. Whenever a friend comes to me with a problem, I always have some solid advice that can help them tell their girl just how much they mean to them. If you really want to show the girl of your dreams the best Valentine’s Day weekend, continue reading.

First off, you should know that Valentine’s Day is always marked with Hallmark cards and candies. If you really want to show her that you care, you don’t give her a card the morning of. This just shows that you don’t care, and that the entire gift was an afterthought. If you want to impress her, put a little effort into making reservations somewhere you know she likes, or even get her a gift that means something. Girls might love candy and flowers, but if you get the generic gift, what does that say about you? Maybe you want them to think you’re a generic, predictable guy.

Making gifts comes from the heart, or so I’ve been told.  Your gift doesn’t have to even be Valentine’s themed.  Your girl likes the Red Sox? Maybe a Green Monster plush from the Yawkey Way Store instead of the generic pink bear with the heart on it. What if she’s into movies or television? You don’t get a girl who has interests a card and flowers. Really tell her that you know her by doing a little research and figuring out what would make her smile, because that’s what counts. No quantity of flowers or chocolates matches the feeling of making her truely smile.

Okay, here’s a scenario. You call up your girl and tell her to come over at 6:30. She shows up and you’re watching Sportscenter with a bag of potato chips open. You tell her to come sit down, and once she’s on the couch, you tell her to close her eyes. When she opens them, there’s a card and a box of chocolates. She takes them, and tells you thanks, but she doesn’t really mean it. Come on dude, with movies like 10 Things I Hate About You and The Notebook, girls are starting to expect a little more out of you. A box of chocolates and flowers that you picked up half an hour beforehand doesn’t match the time and effort the leading men in those movies put into their charming romances.

Now, what you can do is look up a recipe online for something that you think she’ll like to eat. Grab some ingredients at Haymarket for cheap on the weekend, and start too cook ‘em up.  If you do a good job, she’ll come over and enjoy a nice dinner you’ve provided. Then, you can compliment the meal with some chocolates. If you’re not that good of a cook, it’s okay. Simply ruin the meal on purpose, and when she walks in, look all depressed and sad. Tell her that you tried to do something nice for her and that you think that you should just order in, cuddle on the couch, and watch her favorite movie.

Being original never hurts, and it shows that there’s more to what you want from the relationship.

Disclaimer: The author of this article has not had a significant other since he was the age of 14.