Valentine's gifts for him: 40 ideas he'll actually keep
Forty Valentine's gifts for the man who says he doesn't need anything, from love coupons to a book of fifty reasons.
40 ideas ·
Buying a Valentine's gift for him is famously hard. He'll say he doesn't want anything, the shops are full of novelty socks and heart-shaped everything, and anything he really wants he's probably bought already. The gifts men keep tend to be the ones they'd never buy themselves: something that shows you've been paying attention.
These 40 ideas are sorted into gifts made of words, things to do together, small gifts that still mean a lot, ideas for a boyfriend, ideas for a husband, and gifts you can still give at the last minute. Most cost very little. All of them are about him, not the price.
If you choose a gift made of words, you'll need the words. Our 60 reasons why I love you, for him is a good place to start, and the free reasons generator drafts ten from your own memories.
Make it a book: Reasons I Love You holds fifty reasons, one per page, written from your memories and illustrated to look like your people. Start yours
Gifts made of words
Most men rarely hear, in detail, why they're loved. A gift that tells him is the one he'll keep in a drawer for years.
- A book of reasons you love him: fifty of them, one per page, written from your memories, with the two of you illustrated on the cover.
- A booklet of love coupons for him to cash in through the year: breakfast in bed, a night off, one argument he gets to win.
- A letter about the moment you knew, tucked into his jacket pocket for him to find.
- A set of open-when letters: open when you miss me, when you've had a bad day, when you need a laugh.
- A jar of 52 folded notes, one reason for every week of the year.
- The first message you ever sent each other, printed and framed.
- A playlist of your songs, with a line about why each one made it.
- A list of the small things he does that you never thank him for, read aloud over dinner.
Things to do together
- Your first date, recreated down to the same order.
- A night in with his favorite meal, his favorite film and no phones.
- Tickets to see his team or his favorite band, with you beside him.
- A cooking class or a whiskey tasting for two.
- A weekend away somewhere neither of you has been.
- A sunrise hike, with breakfast packed for the top.
- A day planned around everything he loves, with nothing left for him to organize.
Small gifts that still mean a lot
- His favorite snack from when he was a kid, tracked down online.
- A keyring engraved with a date only the two of you understand.
- A mug with your inside joke on it.
- A star map of the sky on the night you met.
- A framed photo from your best day this year, with the date written on the back.
- A good bottle of something he likes, with a label you've written yourself.
Valentine's gifts for your boyfriend
Early on, a sentimental gift doesn't need to be big. It needs to show you've been listening.
- A book of reasons you love him, written from the months you've had so far.
- A scrapbook of your dates, with the tickets, receipts and photos, and a caption for each.
- The thing he mentioned once, weeks ago, and assumed you'd forgotten.
- A booklet of love coupons, each one a date for the year ahead.
- The hoodie of his you always steal, washed, folded and wrapped as if it's new.
- Tickets to something you'd never go to on your own, because he loves it.
Valentine's gifts for your husband
After years together, the best gifts show you still notice him.
- A book of fifty reasons you love him, from your wedding day to now.
- His watch, engraved with your wedding date on the back.
- A night away without the kids, booked and handled.
- Your wedding vows, framed beside a new line for this year.
- Love coupons for the things he'd never ask for: a lie-in, the remote, a whole Saturday to himself.
- Something he's had for years, restored.
Last-minute Valentine's gifts for him
Left it late? These are ready in minutes or bookable today.
- The digital book of reasons, ready minutes after you approve it, sent as a link on the morning.
- Digital love coupons, printed at home and folded into his card.
- A table booked at the place you had your first date.
- A video message from his friends and family, collected on the group chat.
- Tickets to a film or a show that evening.
- Breakfast in bed, with his card on the tray.
- A handwritten letter with three things you love about him, signed and sealed.
How to choose a Valentine's gift for him
Start with what he'd never buy himself. Most men buy the things they want as soon as they want them, so the gift that surprises him is rarely an object. It's proof that you notice: the joke from years ago, the song from your first trip, the way he makes your coffee.
Then make it specific and add words. A gift card becomes a plan when it comes with a date, and almost anything becomes personal with three lines about why you chose it.
If you want the words to be the gift, Reasons I Love You puts fifty reasons in a book, one per page, with the two of you illustrated on the cover. The digital book is $12. For something smaller, love coupons start at $8: twenty promises, two to a page, with your characters on them.
Allow up to three weeks for a printed book to arrive. The digital book and the digital coupons are ready in minutes, so they work right up to the morning of the 14th. Shopping for her too? Here are our Valentine's gifts for her, and for the card, what to write in a Valentine's card.
Questions people ask
What do you get a man for Valentine's Day?+
Something he'd never buy himself: a book of reasons you love him, a booklet of love coupons, tickets to something he loves, or a night planned around him. Men tend to keep the gifts that say something about them long after the practical ones.
What is a good Valentine's gift for a boyfriend?+
A scrapbook of your dates so far, love coupons with a date for every month, or a book of reasons you love him, written from the time you've had together.
What should I get my husband for Valentine's Day?+
Something that shows you still notice him: a night away without the kids, his watch engraved with your wedding date, or fifty reasons you love him in a book, from your wedding day to now.
What can I give him for Valentine's at the last minute?+
Something that doesn't depend on the post: the digital book of reasons, ready in minutes, digital love coupons printed at home, or a table booked at the place you had your first date.
