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What Men Want for Valentine’s Day

Somewhere along the line, it seems like gifts for men on Valentine’s Day fell under the radar. If you were to google “gifts for Valentine’s Day” most articles will come back with advice geared toward men. Whatever your philosophy may be, we think it’s nice to have the occasion go both ways when it comes to giving gifts. Although us women don’t object to a day of spoils, it’s important to express love and gratitude for the men in your life too. Let us help you figure out what men want for Valentine’s day.

What Men Want for Valentine's Day

Food

Everybody knows the way into a man’s heart is through food! Find an opportunity to feed him his favorites on Valentine’s Day. Why don’t you surprise him with his preferred breakfast or lunch? If February 14th falls on a weekday, make him a special lunch to take to work! It’ll make his day brighter and he’ll definitely be thinking of you (and thanking you) as he pushes through.
If you don’t have dinner plans, ask if he’d like you to cook one of his favorite meals instead of going out.
Does he have a favorite cookie, cake or pastry you could make? 9 times out of 10 the look on a man’s face when he realizes he has his favorite dessert to look forward to is 100% worth it (and priceless!).

A Simple Night In

Most men just want the opportunity to have some quality time with you. They want to shut out the world for a moment. If it’s been a while since you’ve just sat around at home and watched a movie, make that an option this year. He may enjoy the change of pace, avoiding the Valentine’s day chaos and crowds, and it’ll save a few bucks!
Alternatively- maybe you two never get out enough! Get his opinion on the matter and consider a night out at the movies, or an evening stroll in a local park. Find out what would make him happy and be open minded 🙂 You may be on the same page!

Small Comforts: Boxers, Sweatshirts, Shaving kit

I always love to use Valentine’s Day as an opportunity to stock my husband up on the items he uses every day. You know, the kind of stuff he never would want to go out and get himself but needs the most. Incorporating small comforts like fresh boxer shorts, a warm sweatshirt or even a new shaving kit could be a cute addition to any gift and the best way to show how well you care about his well being. A little attention to his daily rituals could take you a long way come gift time!

Beer

This may also qualify as a small comfort 😉 If your boyfriend or husband (fathers & grandfathers can get gifts too!) enjoys a nice cold beer or drink at the end of a long day, maybe head to the package store and pick up his favorites. He’ll appreciate not having to make the stop himself that week! It may be easier to decipher what men want for Valentine’s Day than initially thought, right?

Gift Cards: Video Games, Restaurant,

If you’re married with children, chances are you and your husband work hard everyday to make sure there is enough money in the bank to make ends meet. That means the amount he spends on himself is probably close to $0. If you have set a budget for each other, give him a gift card for something that he loves but has learned to live without. Whether it’s a restaurant he loves, or a video game, the acknowledgement of his personal taste means a lot.

How to make a bouquet of fresh flowers last

Make a bouquet of fresh flowers last

How to make a bouquet of fresh flowers last

54.8% of Americans celebrate Valentine’s day, collectively spending over $19 billion on Flowers, candy, cards, and jewelry. Over 190 million roses are produced for Valentine’s day alone, with 34.3% of people receiving them for the occasion. Soon they will all be wondering how to make a bouquet of fresh flowers last, that’s why we’re here.

Adding longevity to the life of your beautiful flowers is a lot easier than you may believe. In fact, most items you can use are common household products you probably already have laying around. Browse through the list we have put together, but when in doubt keep it out! Don’t accidentally kill your flowers by winging it with the amounts. Remember, the goal is to prevent bacteria from growing in the water; if nothing else, be sure to replace the water in your vase every couple of days!

Apple Cider Vinegar

What can’t apple cider vinegar do?! Seems at every turn, this is one product that keeps solving problems of all kinds. Experts suggest mixing the vase water with two tablespoons of apple cider and two tablespoons of sugar before adding the flowers.

Soda

If you’re about to polish off a 2 liter of soda, or if you have some left in a can- you may want to make sure you keep 1/4 cup for your flower water. The sugar in the soda will help the blooms last longer on your bouquet. Clearly there are some benefits to the drink after all!

Bleach

I don’t know why but this one surprised me. Experts say a simple recipe: 3 drops of bleach, 1 quart water with 1 teaspoon of sugar has the power to keep the water from getting cloudy (preventing bacteria growth). Don’t worry, I’ve yet to read about an incident where the flowers turn white 😉

Vodka

In an effort to nourish the area where the flower was cut, people put a few drops of vodka (and other clear booze) in their vase water, with 1 teaspoon of sugar. Going this route will be a bit more high maintenance though, as it is advised you should be changing the water (and replacing the vodka/sugar combination) every other day.

Asprin

Described as a tried and true method to preserving your flowers, a crushed up tablet of asprin in the water before adding your flowers is a reliable way to extend the life of fresh cut flowers. I haven’t tried this one yet but it’s the next method I’m going to use come Valentine’s Day!

Valentine’s Day Fun Facts

Valentine's Day Fun Facts

Valentine’s Day is a favorite of ours around the Farm. Maybe it’s because we are filled with so much love for our family and all of the animals that live with us. Having a day to honor that love (perhaps just a little more than we do any other day of the year) is a lot of fun. Check out some of these Valentine’s day fun facts we came across!

Did You Know?

Retail statistics tell us that 4.5% of pet owners will give gifts to their pets on Valentine’s Day! That could be as many as 5 million people! We’re in that figure, that’s for sure! After all, people come and go but your pets are forever love!
An amazing 151 Million Valentine’s Day cards are exchanged every single year for Valentine’s Day. Considering 54% of Americans participate in this holiday, it makes perfect sense to us!
For the singles out there, don’t worry. You have the option to celebrate something called Singles Awareness Day (SAD). Yes, it sounds depressing– but you’d be surprised by the number of people you will be able to connect with and relate to on social media. Who knows, maybe you won’t be single much longer!
The term, “wear your heart on your sleeve” originated from the middle ages. Young women and men would draw their names from a bowl to see who would be their valentine. For a week straight they would wear the name on their sleeves so everyone would know.
In Finland, their name for Valentine’s Day (Ystävänpäivä) translates to Friend’s Day. It’s far more friend/family centric than simply your romantic interest.
In Medieval days, the X (which these days, has become synonymous with a kiss) was used by people who couldn’t write their own names. They would instead sign an x in front of a witness, and kiss the x as a show of their love and sincerity.

Or How About…
We all know candy is a big seller for Valentine’s Day. $1.6 billion was spent on candy alone in 2016. More than 35 million heart-shaped boxes of candy will be sold and gifted this year.
Between 64-73% of people who will buy flowers on Valentine’s Day will be men- contributing to the ~$1.9 billion in flowers sales made every year.
50% of people buy roses for the occasion, which is probably why over 225 million roses are grown specifically for Valentine’s Day.
There are 1400 different kinds of cards you can purchase from Hallmark alone. It makes you wonder how many of the 145 million bought come from them!
Over 6 million people expect or plan a proposal on Valentine’s Day each year. My own mother and father got engaged on Valentine’s Day when they were in their 20’s! It’s definitely a safe way to ensure you never forget a gift to celebrate the memory!
Will you be part of the 40% of people who purchase their gifts for Valentine’s Day on their smartphone?
It’s funny to imagine but very true: 15% of women will send themselves flowers on Valentine’s Day. I think that’s a great way to honor and love yourself, especially if you’re single!
Procrastinators will appreciate this: 50% of Valentine’s day gifts are purchased the 6 days leading up to it. If you are always waiting till the last minute to secure your present you are clearly not alone!