This Valentine’s Day, I don’t want flowers.

Let me tell you also that even if you’re single, you shouldn’t feel like you’re left out of the game. Buy yourself something amazing. One of the most important things to realize in life, I believe, is that you should never be defined by your significant other or lack thereof. If you are your own best cheerleader, then you will have a step up over a lot of other people and will be happier for it. The trick is to have a significant other that you don’t need to “fix” to make work, that doesn’t need to fix you and is just a compliment of everything you already are.

Well, preachy paragraph above aside, send yourself something fabulous for Valentine’s Day. Send it to your office, actually. Don’t lie and say it’s from a “secret lover,” either. If you’re single, say, “I’m a grown-up and buy things for myself.” If you have a significant other, show them this post. Either way, don’t be afraid to express what you want! If you hate Valentine’s Day, order pizza and watch Apocalypse Now. If you love Valentine’s Day but hate flowers, don’t ask for flowers. Gift giving just to conform to expected cliches is so cliche. Stop and think about what you really want to do, give and get.

What that being said, here’s what I’d like for Valentine’s Day!

I’m kind of over flowers, if you couldn’t tell. For $80, you can sure get a lot of other nice things that won’t die in a week and get thrown in the trash. If you do decide to get flowers, please stop at a local market, local florist or Whole Foods and pick up flowers for less than $15. Do not get suckered in to the commercial ridiculousness that is FTD, Flowers.com, 1-800-Flowers, etc.

Let’s explore my alternate gift ideas! (P.S. Brandon asked me the other night what I wanted. I usually never make lists of what I want for holidays or birthdays, but he begged me, so voila.)

• Red Flower Candle ($12) and Body Lotion ($24) - Wonderful Tanya bought me the body lotion as a wedding shower present and I literally went through the bottle in two months. It is the most fantastic smelling stuff and there is a bit of a pun here-Red Flower/flower-that makes it a good alternative to a dozen roses sitting on your desk. I really want a candle for the office—something to calm me down on a busy day—and I’m a total lotion addict, plus I know I already love the scent. Win!
• Fred Flare Rose Ring, $12 - Much more stylish and useful than the real thing, I think.
• French Twill Memo Board, $13 - I’ve been wanting a memo board for my office space for quite some time. I have memes and other internet craziness taped behind my desk in a haphazard (rather ugly) fashion and it needs some taming. There’s only so much of Joseph Ducreux my co-workers can (or will) take.
• Love Knot Ring, $30 - There are tons of versions of the love knot ring (some hideously large and overpriced, watch out), but I like this simple, inexpensive CZ version that would look great on a middle or index finger.

Total: $91

Compare the $91 above to $91 of overpriced, FedEx’d flowers:

I’ll take the lotion, please!

One of My Favorite Christmas Movies (That You’ve Never Heard Of)

One Special Night was a TV movie made for CBS with Julie Andrews (love!) and James Garner (also love!). It’s a little cheesy, but it’s so heart-warming and Christmasy and is a really lovely story. It’ll become one of your new favorites, I promise!

P.S. I feel so old. I feel like I JUST watched this on CBS and apparently it aired in 1999. Eek!

Cheesy holiday tees and sweaters are fun, but if you’re looking for something a bit more chic and subtle, Forever 21 has four holiday-themed tees on sale for $5. My personal fav? The ice skater tee on the far right.

1. Holiday Surprise - $5
2. Candy Cane - $5
3. Holiday Glam - $5
4. Ice Skater - $5
   

Brooke wrote me:

I am hoping you can help me find a pretty and festive holiday headband.  I’m not talking green and red, but sparkly and fabulous!!!

Didn’t you know?! Sparkly and fabulous are my specialty!

Here are my favs:

1. Forever 21 Chainlink Headband - $5
2. Forever 21 Vintage-Inspired - $6 (my pick)
3. Anthropologie Duchess Headband - $28
4. UO Filigree Leaf Headband - $18
5. Forever 21 Velvet Chain Headband - $6 (my pick)
6. White House | Black Market Starburst Headband - $38 (my pick)
7. Jennifer Ouellette Wreath Berry Headband - $39

If you prefer, check out some of these pretty handmade ones from Etsy:

• Rosebud headband in pewter
• Crown-style black headband
• Cream peony flower headband

Isn’t this the prettiest thing you’ve ever seen? The earrings are almost an afterthought—it’s the sparrow statue I’m in love with!

Juicy Couture Sparrow Statue with Hoop Earrings (multiple colors), $45 (from $62)

I just ordered our Christmas cards! (Thanks for reminding me to do that, Tanya.)

Franchesca suggested Overnightprints.com on a post I did a while back and it was a lifesaver!

I ordered 50 postcards with ground shipping and priority printing for $21. That included a $5 off coupon (code: 5PCSALE).

I feel like a real grown-up now with “family” Christmas cards. I’ll have to raid my mom’s address book!

Lindsay wrote me with the following request:

I’m looking for Christmas presents for my very-hard-to-buy-anything-for mom.. She is super into scrapbooking!

It sounds like your mom is super-crafty, but instead of sticking with the usual scrapbooking gifts (stickers, books, decorations), I went a wee bit out on a limb.

1. Creating Keepsakes Magazine, $24 subscription
2. Scrapbooks: An American History, $20
3. Crafts and Keepsakes for the Holidays by Martha Stewart, $5 (used)
4. Handmade Christmas: The Best of Martha Stewart Living, $15
5. ArtBin Supply Caddy, $22
6. Creative Options Project Tote, $14

Obviously getting ALL these things would be pricey, but I’d suggest mixing and matching (and buying the books used on Alibris to save money).

I hope your mom loves it!

Meg needed—get this—a “Holiday Wine Swap Partay” hostess outfit for less than $50 (shoes and accessories not included). This tested my skills considerably, but as always, if my finds are not up to par, I’ll do another search! (And may I just say that if you don’t follow lovely Meg, you should be!)

Here’s what I looked for:

• Holiday dresses that weren’t blatantly “holiday,” i.e. nothing plaid or with reindeers on it or with tinsel hanging off
• Since Meg will be entertaining at home, a pair of gorgeous flats will work best with the running around and all the standing she’ll be doing
• Outfits that can be worn again and mixed with different separates
• An outfit with a good combo of dressed up/dressed down since entertaining at home requires a bit of a different vibe than if you are out on the town

Here are three options for Meg:

I love the metallic details here, which will reflect Christmas lights beautifully. I would recommend wearing a slip with this dress (see the model?), but the shape of the dress (which is slightly casual) is a good opposite for the dressy trim, shoes and jewelry.

1. Forever 21 Metallic Sequin Dress, $30
2. Forever 21 Bracelet, $5
3. Forever 21 Necklace, $10
4. Miss Me Flats, $40

This dress is so fantastic—flattering, sparkly and it just screams “holiday” without Santa faces everywhere. The muted gray accents help tone down the formality of the dress and the cardigan adds a bit of “this old thing” flair.

1. Charlotte Russe Sequin Dress, $39
2. Forever 21 Angora-Blend Cardigan, $23
3. Forever 21 Trimmed Hoop Earrings, $8
4. Forever 21 Flats, $17

For something a bit more casual (but just as elegant), a red sweater dress fits the bill. Replace the tie belt with a skinny black one, add a long necklace and some flats and you’re done!

1. Victoria’s Secret Sweaterdress, $49
2. Forever 21 Pendant Necklace, $7
3. Soda Flats, $17
4. Forever 21 Skinny Belt, $3