We all say we hate Valentine’s Day with a passion and think its overrated and extremely corny, but when our beaus take cue and don’t give us anything, we throw a temper tantrum. No one can say ‘no’ to a good present. So if you’re stumped for ideas or too lazy to research, we’ve outlined some ideas that would make great gifts on the big day.
1. For the high maintenance chick — Perfumes
When it comes to a girl who likes her designer handbags and vacations to Europe, you can never go wrong with perfumes. But be creative with your choice of perfume and match it to the personality of the girl. If she’s sweet, go for a carmelised, vanilla scent like Pink Sugar, Marc Jacobs Lola and Viva La Juicy. If she’s hyper and happy all the time, she might like something more flowery such as Tropical Flower by Oscar De La Renta or Vera Wang’s Flower Princess.
2. For the nerdy girl — USB flash drive necklace
If technology gets her high, then she may love one of these heart-shaped necklace USB flash drives. Even better would be a diamante-encrusted mobile phone cover.
3. For the sappy girl — Justin Bieber album Believe
If she giggles uncontrollably at everything you say and loves talking about everything under the sun, she might love Justin Bieber’s latest album which is about to release any day now.
4. For the goth girl — Black roses
She might be all snarky and critical of Valentine’s Day but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t want anything. If you can score some black roses, you might make the goth in your life happy for a day.
5. For the ‘seedhi saadhi’ girl — ‘Humsafar’ DVDs
If she’s your typical Khirad from “Humsafar”, I’m sure she’d love to relive her life story on the television screen by watching “Humsafar” all day long.
6. For the metrosexual man — Massages
Although his manicures and pink ties may creep you out at times, at least they are better than ear hair sprouting out or disgusting sideburns happily displayed by so many Pakistani men. Allow him to bask in his metrosexuality by giving him a gift coupon to the best men’s salon in the city.
7. For the gamer — Headphones
Yes, you may think any plastic headphones would do, but ask a gamer and he’ll tell you that the right headset can make or break the gaming experience. These days, there are tons of them available in Pakistan by Logitech and Sony.
8. For the player — The Art of Seduction
He may not be akin to reading much, but once he gets his hands on the book The Art of Seduction by Robert Greene, he will thank his lucky stars he met you. The only downside is that he may want to practise his new-found skills on other women.
9. For the average Jamshed — ‘The Arrivals’ documentary
The average Jamshed will probably tell you to sit at home on this particular day and not fall for its Hallmark created commerciality but that doesn’t mean he won’t light up at the mention of a gift. Let him enjoy the conspiracy laden documentary about Freemasons called ‘The Arrivals’.
10. For the mama’s boy — All expenses paid dinner date
If he’s whipped by mama dearest, you can score big with him and your future mother-in-law by sponsoring their quality time. However, don’t just send them anywhere; it has to be a mum-approved place.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 9th, 2012.