Valentine’s Day is approaching quickly, and as a hopeless romantic, I love this holiday. Yet, some acts of love can be adorable and others can be rather icky. So, I want to talk about some things I find to be romantic and what I find to be a romant-ICK.

1. The Rose Bear

Starting off strong with a major ick, the Rose Bear. As much as some people may love this, I feel that a personalized and thoughtful flower bouquet would be much more meaningful than this bear. I find it to look tacky and cheap, and the last thing I want on Valentine’s day is to feel like any gift was last minute and grabbed off the shelf in a rush.

2. Heart-shaped jewelry

This is another gift that screams “This will suffice, right?” Personally, I would never wear a ring with a heart shaped stone, maybe a necklace with a small heart shaped pendant if it’s tasteful. But if I were to be given this, I would instantly know that this person doesn’t truly know me. I find that to be one of the ickiest romantic acts of them all; not knowing your partner.

3. Flowers

Flowers are almost a given on Valentines Day! Especially a beautiful bouquet of fresh roses, or one catered to the person’s favored flowers. I find that flowers are one of the most romantic gifts, especially when given on random occasions. But flowers on Valentine’s Day are still just as romantic.

4. Personalized gifts and gift baskets

Being able to put in the effort to create a personalized gift or assemble a personalized gift basket is almost the most romantic gift you can give. It shows you understand and know your partner. Spending the time to create a gift that they will specifically love or appreciate is so romantic. The effort, time and consideration that goes into these kinds of gifts make it much more sentimental and memorable than a box of chocolate and a bouquet of dyed flowers.

5. Dinner at home

This can go either way, being romantic or an ick. The line that deciphers if this is romantic or not is the amount of effort put in. A candle-lit dinner with a well considered meal, romantic music in the background playing, and maybe some cute decorations and nice ambiance can be one of the sweetest Valentine’s Day gifts. But if dinner is practically an afterthought, maybe something lazy, with no true effort present, that can be the biggest ick of all.

At the end of the day, people know what is appropriate for their relationship, but the effort and consideration is always the biggest determination of whether something is romantic or an ick. Everyone deserves to be loved and seen for who they are and what they love. I hope everyone has a wonderful Valentine’s Day and that you do not have to face a disgusting, romant-ick act of “love;” you do not deserve an icky love.