Perfect Valentine’s Day Gifts for the Lavender Lover
I never put much stock in Valentine’s Day until I was in a serious relationship. Even though I still view it as a very low-key holiday, it still deserves a little celebration. It’s a chance to celebrate love for another person, but also a chance to be thankful for all the love in our lives. And this is more important this year than ever before in most of our lifetimes.
As I am not a believer in over-the-top valentines celebrations, my husband knows better than to be super extravagant. If you are looking for some simple ideas of how to express your love to your special person, particularly if they like lavender, here are my top suggestions:
1) A Homemade Card
I usually get caught a few days before Valentine’s Day without a card, which means I have to roll up my sleeves and get creative. Although store-bought cards are nice, it can be difficult to find exactly the right one. A homemade card can obviously be made to convey your perfect message. You don’t even need any special supplies. Printer paper, scissors, colored pencils, or markers will do. If you are particularly afraid of drawing, you can even print out a design on printer paper before cutting the paper into a heart shape! Best of all, a homemade card will be treasured even more due to your effort—after all it was made by you.
2) Flowers or a Small Plant
A bouquet of flowers never goes amiss, especially in this year of lockdown. Whether you go for the traditional red roses or a more mixed display, flowers will always add color and cheer to your loved one’s day. And if you go for a scented flower then they’ll have a wonderful smelling home too!
If you want something more long-lasting, I recommend a bouquet of dried lavender. Dried lavender will last for months and will smell divine. I’ve had one of my lavender bouquets for nearly a year now and it’s still going strong! All you have to do is to pinch a few of the buds to release the scent every so often. I always get mine locally but you can also order a bouquet online. If you get a culinary lavender bouquet, the buds can also be used for tea and cooking!
Another more long-lasting recommendation would be a small plant. Plants will much last longer than cut flowers—even if your loved one doesn’t have a green thumb! A petite rose bush is a perfect substitute for a bouquet of roses and adds some color. Another of my favorites is a Hoya Heart, which is a cutting from the Hoya Kerrii plant. It is a green succulent-like plant shaped like a heart. It makes for a unique gift and doesn’t require much care—just sunlight and a tiny bit of water.
3) Chocolate
If chocolate is the way to your loved one’s heart, then by all means get chocolate! For a unique dark chocolate bar to munch on, I highly recommend this one. It is dark chocolate, but has a strong lavender flavor nicely mixed with honey and vanilla flavors.
Of course, if you don’t want to buy chocolate, you can always spoil your loved one (and yourself) with some homemade lavender hot chocolate!
4) Hand Cream
With all the extra hand washing we are doing this year, no gift list would be complete without hand cream. For nicely scented hand creams, I recommend L‘Occitane’s lavender hand cream and Burt’s Bees lavender & honey hand cream. Personally I find the L’Occitane cream sinks into my skin quickly without leaving residue, asking it ideal to use during the day. The Burt’s Bees cream is a little heavier with the Shea butter, so it takes a few minutes to fully sink in. I can personally vouch that both creams are helping my dry hands. If you prefer unscented cream, Burt’s Bees also has this one, which works just as well as the lavender one.
5) Tea
If your loved one likes tea everyday, then tea or tea accessories would be ideal. For this time of year, especially going toward Spring, I recommend a floral-flavored tea. For a caffeinated tea, I recommend the Victorian London Fog tea from Harney&Sons. It is a strong Earl Grey tea—perfect for mornings—flavored with lavender and vanilla. Wonderful with or without milk. For herbal, I still recommend plain lavender tea from culinary lavender buds. Perfect for relaxing at night.
My go-to tea accessory is still my ForLife teapot. As a small stackable teapot it is perfect for a small storage space and comes with a inner removable infuser for easy cleaning. I can get two mugfuls of tea out of this small pot—just enough for two people to share or an individual to refill.
6) A Lavender Sachet
If your loved one likes lavender, then a lavender sachet is a fantastic choice. A sachet can be placed in a drawer, a closet, or even on a pillow to enrich its surroundings with its lavender scent. For an added advantage, place a sachet with wool clothing and its lavender scent will repel any moths while making the clothes smell divine.
For Valentine’s Day in particular, you can search for sachets in heart shapes or designs!
7) A Candle
A candle’s flame has been long admired as a symbol of hope and even of unity. Ever seen a unity candle as part of a wedding ceremony? Provide some light for your loved one with a candle during these winter months. Making it a scented candle is even better. Your loved one can enjoy the small peaceful flame and let its scent waft through the home.
As an added bonus, make a candle from scratch—customized just for the recipient. It will be cherished even more. Find out how to make a simple lavender beeswax candle here.
Valentine’s Day does not have to be a huge holiday. A simple card or gift can mean the world to someone. After all, the point is to remind those we care about most that they are loved.
