Valentine’s Day is a series of contradictions

Firstly, given it’s all about love, its backstory origins – which include a Roman festival where women were whipped and distributed via a love lottery, or martyrdom stories of a Saint (or two) who were executed for helping persecuted Christians – are all really quite dark.

Secondly, love is (hopefully) something long term.  Which is the opposite of Valentine’s Day – the day of transient declarations of love made via tokenistic presents.  Surely love is going that extra mile - to find something that will make your partner smile, to make them happy, to show them that you, without a shadow of doubt, really ‘get’ them?

Thirdly, reactions to Valentine’s Day can vary hugely. We have friends who don’t bat an eye on this day of ‘love’ and others who go all out – wine’ing, dining and buying.  And it doesn’t always relate to age or relationship status - it just comes down to how they personally prefer to show and share their affections.

Personally speaking – we don’t ‘do’ Valentines – we never have over the past 25 (or so) years, and we can’t see this changing over the next 25 (or so) years. However, here comes the fourth and final contradiction – we don’t believe in it, yet here we are chatting about it and about to offer you some recommendations of what you could possibly buy for your loved one.  We certainly aren’t selling out to sell more. We reckon it’s each to their own and if you want to show your love on Valentine’s Day – go for it.  But perhaps think twice about the gift you’ll give – let us help you find something special, rather than some straight to landfill tat, that really shows you care and understand what will make your loved one happy.

So here’s our guide to non-tokenistic, non-transient gifts that will last for years (unlike flowers or chocolates) - that you could get for the Tinkerer and Fixer in your life.  For the partner that’s into making, growing or mending.  Presents that gain patina over time (as does any partnership), that will evoke memories and sentiment:

• Elementary Screwdrivers: with their beech handle, they age beautifully
• Niwaki Secateurs: their carbon steel keeps the sharpest of edges – but needs to be maintained – surely there’s an analogy for keeping love alive  in there somewhere?!
• The Lost Tools:  an extra 13mm spanner and 10mm socket to replace those lost somewhere in the workshop is always a good thing.
• Carharrt Aprons: with virtually indestructible cotton canvas, they soften with wear – moulding perfectly to you.
• If you do want something that ‘says’ valentines – i.e. it’s coloured red – what about a the Milwaukee 6 in 1 Utility knife  Or Niwaki snips – your loved one will love their red handles as they stop them from getting lost in the garden. Or what about a red Japanese toolbox – they are beautiful pressed steel when bought, but even better with a few dents (again, add your own analogy as required!)

And - of course - we also have a few great cards that you might like - particularly for a partner who is into DIY. 

Looking for even more ideas? Check out our Valentines Day gift guide here....