Valentine's Day gift ideas: Beautiful alternatives to flowers & co.
Some love it, others find it too commercial: Valentine's Day. 💖 Every year on February 14, lovers all over the world give each other flowers, chocolates, and other gifts, write love letters, and go out for fancy dinners. No other day celebrates love like Valentine's Day.
But where does the name "Valentine's Day" actually come from, and since when do we celebrate this day of love? We've done some research for you! We're also presenting five creative and sustainable gift ideas with which you can surprise your sweetheart on Valentine's Day. We can already reveal this much: It's not a bouquet of flowers! 😬
Where does the name Valentine’s Day come from?
The name Valentine's Day probably comes from Saint Valentine, the patron saint of lovers. He lived in Rome in the 3rd century and married couples according to Christian custom – these marriages were supposed to be particularly auspicious. Valentine also gave the couples flowers from his garden – which is why they remain such a popular gift even today. The problem was that the then Emperor Claudius II had banned Christian weddings. Therefore, according to tradition, the emperor ordered Valentine to be beheaded on February 14, 269.
Since when has Valentine’s Day been celebrated?
In 469, the commemoration of Saint Valentine was introduced by Pope Gelasius I. However, exactly 1,500 years later, in 1969, the day was removed from the church calendar due to a lack of evidence.
Valentine's Day has been celebrated in England since the late 14th century. There, "Valentine's Day couples" formed and exchanged small gifts. English immigrants then brought the custom to the United States, and it eventually reached Germany via American soldiers during World War II, where it first spread to western Germany. The first Valentine's Day Ball took place in Nuremberg in 1950. Since then, Valentine's Day has become established throughout Germany.
Creative gift ideas for Valentine's Day
We all know them: the classic Valentine's Day gifts. According to a survey by Statista, flowers are the classic Valentine's Day gift, receiving 27% of the total. Closely followed by other material gifts such as perfume, jewelry, or cosmetics (20%) and restaurant visits (20%).
If you prefer something a little more unusual but aren't sure what to give your loved one, we've compiled five creative and sustainable Valentine's Day gift ideas for you.
1) Favorite person – flowers with a difference!
On Valentine's Day, we give gifts to our favorite people. What could be more fitting than our beautiful " Favorite Person " emotion charm ? Filled with beautiful real flowers, it shows: You're important to me, you're my favorite person! We can be romantic! 🙂
2) Wish-fulfiller – A real dandelion in a glass
We wish our loved ones only the very best and would love to fulfill their every wish. 😍 Our wish-fulfiller, a real dandelion in a glass , makes wishes come true and is a wonderful gift idea for Valentine's Day. Hand-picked in the meadows of northern Germany, each dandelion's umbrella represents a good wish. The wish-fulfiller is also ideal as a small gift with a voucher for a shared experience.
3) The Valentine's Day card that grows
Even if it sounds a bit cheesy (but when can it be cheesy if not on Valentine's Day?): Love is like a plant. 🌱 You have to nurture it and take good care of it so it can continue to grow. We took "Let love grow" quite literally with this Valentine's Day card – if you remove the seed plug from the card and plant it, with a little care, beautiful flowers will soon grow from it. So you can watch your love grow! 🌸
4) Give your own piece of flower meadow for Valentine’s Day
Flowers are THE classic Valentine's Day gift! It's no wonder, since the bright colors of the blossoms look stunning and simply put you in a good mood. However, they wilt after a few days and end up in the trash. How about a little piece of a flower meadow instead, something your loved one can enjoy for a whole year? 🌻🌼🌸 With our flower sponsorship, you can sponsor a piece of a flower meadow and do something good for our environment at the same time. The best part: We take care of everything, and you'll receive updates about your flower meadow via email and on Instagram for a year.
Our flower sponsorship is also available as a gift set .
5) Make plans for the shared raised bed
The best gift is time spent together! Why not take on a shared raised bed project this year? We'll provide the right plans – you'll find them in our book "Through the Year with the Raised Bed." This way, you can plan now and then get started in the spring. This way, your love will literally bear fruit… or vegetables or herbs! 🍆
Even more sustainable gift ideas for Valentine's Day
Even if Valentine's Day is a controversial topic, we definitely think a little extra love can't hurt, especially these days. And if the gifts also do something good for the environment, all the better! You can find more Valentine's Day gift ideas here .
With that in mind, spread lots of love – on Valentine's Day and every other day of the year! 💚
