# Do you expect a gift for Valentine's Day? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 14, 2015, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-expect-a-gift-for-valentines-day/712657 "2015-02-14T19:03:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2015, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-expect-a-gift-for-valentines-day/712657/1 "2015-02-14T19:03:48Z")
I was reading through a thread on diamonds for Valentine’s Day (sorry, not enough coffee, please forgive the failure to link), and it occurred to me a poll might be nice. Who expects presents for V-Day? What type? My husband and I usually have a nice meal at home, but don’t exchange anything. The kids are old enough to start asking why Daddy is not handing over a dozen long-stems, which I find mildly amusing. I always knew it wasn’t his thing. Might be nice if it was, truthfully, but I knew going into it that it wasn’t. For his part, he has told me that he knows I love him because of all the little things I do for him every day. We also say it often. So that’s us. You? Poll to follow. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2015, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-expect-a-gift-for-valentines-day/712657/2 "2015-02-14T19:09:11Z")
What? No, I’m male. ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2015, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-expect-a-gift-for-valentines-day/712657/3 "2015-02-14T19:31:58Z")
I answered no, but in a way, I do expect something, but it’s usually something we do. A really nice dinner most years - last year we cooked it ourselves, but we still spent a lot of money on steak, lobster, wine, etc. The last time Valentine’s fell on a three-day weekend, we did a two-night getaway on the San Juan islands at a little bed and breakfast. (It drizzled the whole weekend so we had little choice but to stay in bed. It was awful. 😉 ) ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2015, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-expect-a-gift-for-valentines-day/712657/4 "2015-02-14T19:42:16Z")
> [@ddsun](#): > > I was reading through a thread on diamonds for Valentine’s Day (sorry, not enough coffee, please forgive the failure to link), and it occurred to me a poll might be nice. Who expects presents for V-Day? What type? > > My husband and I usually have a nice meal at home, but don’t exchange anything. The kids are old enough to start asking why Daddy is not handing over a dozen long-stems, which I find mildly amusing. I always knew it wasn’t his thing. Might be nice if it was, truthfully, but I knew going into it that it wasn’t. > > For his part, he has told me that he knows I love him because of all the little things I do for him every day. We also say it often. So that’s us. > > You? > > Poll to follow. Expect, only in the sense that we’ve gotten each other something every year for the past 23 years. So I expect him to do so again, just like I expect the sun will rise again tomorrow, based on past experience, not because I demand it. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2015, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-expect-a-gift-for-valentines-day/712657/5 "2015-02-14T19:44:14Z")
Never have, never will. My husband and I consider V-Day to be totally ignorable. The only reason I pay attention to it is to avoid dining out. We also don’t give gifts on birthdays, our anniversary, or Christmas. It really simplifies our lives. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2015, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-expect-a-gift-for-valentines-day/712657/6 "2015-02-14T20:02:38Z")
No. I expect to exchange Christmas gifts, but otherwise I’m not much of a gift person. ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_Hey\_Paula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hey\_Hey\_Paula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_Hey_Paula)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2015, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-expect-a-gift-for-valentines-day/712657/7 "2015-02-14T21:37:50Z")
No, not from my husband. He gets a pass because of his illness and disability Some of the attorneys at work give small Valentines gifts to their secretaries - mine gave me two containers of Trader Joe’s biscotti, which I am sharing with my husband. Yum. ---
**Author:** ![Lanzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/74df32/32.png) [@Lanzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lanzy)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2015, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-expect-a-gift-for-valentines-day/712657/8 "2015-02-14T22:23:39Z")
I always thought Valentines day was stupid. So does my wife. So no presents, no restaurant…nada. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2015, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-expect-a-gift-for-valentines-day/712657/9 "2015-02-14T22:28:16Z")
My wife and I exchange cards, but not gifts. Same goes for Christmas and birthdays. We haven’t traded gifts in many years. We used to always have a nice dinner together in lieu of gifts. Now that we have two small children, we don’t do that much anymore either. ---
**Author:** ![Helena330](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/helena330/32/531_2.png) [@Helena330](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helena330)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2015, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-expect-a-gift-for-valentines-day/712657/10 "2015-02-14T23:49:24Z")
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with a day reminding us to tell the people we love that we love them. Of course, my boyfriend’s love must be in the form of chocolate. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2015, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-expect-a-gift-for-valentines-day/712657/11 "2015-02-15T01:17:36Z")
We don’t really do the gift exchange thing except for Christmas and maybe sometimes birthday. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2015, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-expect-a-gift-for-valentines-day/712657/12 "2015-02-15T01:23:19Z")
I said other. I expect a gift, because I’ve always gotten one, but not chocolate, flowers, or “bling”. Generally something cheap. This year my wife got me a coffee mug with an appropriate phrase printed on it. ---
**Author:** ![SandyHook](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dec6dc/32.png) [@SandyHook](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SandyHook)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2015, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-expect-a-gift-for-valentines-day/712657/13 "2015-02-15T02:00:22Z")
I had no idea today was valentine’s day until Ms Hook mentioned it this morning. I think she was curious if I’d be embarrassed about forgetting it. I wasn’t but we did go out for breakfast and I paid. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2015, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-expect-a-gift-for-valentines-day/712657/14 "2015-02-15T02:15:18Z")
It’s a tradition at our place. Each year, I get the wife chocolates, while she gets me a bottle of cologne. I love Japan, and here’s just one more reason to do so: In Japan, men _never_ give ladies gifts for Valentine’s Day. [It’s ladies giving gifts to men, strictly a one-way street.](http://www.businessinsider.com/afp-heart-shaped-madness-as-japanese-women-splurge-for-valentines-day-2015-2)