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Go to any mall on February 13th and you’ll see a sad sight: zombie-like men wandering through the stores trying to decide what to buy for Valentine’s Day. Why do some men wait until the last minute to get gifts?

The reason is fear; fear of getting the wrong gift and paying for it for the rest of the year. And I know what can happen when a guy gives a bad gift. One male friend of mine got his wife a vacuum cleaner for Valentine’s Day. You can imagine what her response was. He tried to explain that he thought it would be a great gift since it was red. Right. Then he said that she needed one. Oops, even worse. He’s been paying for that one for a long, long time.

To help the man in your life, I’ve come up with some simple guidelines. Just cut this out and hand it to him.

Gift Giving Guidelines for Valentine’s Day

Are you wondering what to give your sweetie for February 14th? Forget the toaster and red fuzzy slippers. When thinking about gifts do not think practical - think romantic. Here are the top three gifts to delight your wife or girlfriend:

1) Jewelry
2) Candy

3) Flowers

1) What kind of jewelry should you get? Look at what she normally wears. Necklaces, bracelets, and earrings are usually good choices because you don’t have to worry about picking the correct size. Buy something sparkly and be sure to include the receipt. Even if she returns it, she’ll be thrilled that you tried.

2) Candy should be packaged in a big heart-shaped box. Size does matter. The only time, that you can’t give candy is when your sweetie specifically tells you that she’s on a diet. Even then, you can give her a tiny heart-shaped box of candy and tell her that she looks great the way she is. (That will score big points.)

3) When you’re looking for flowers - think red or pink. A big bunch of flowers is wonderful, but one single long-stemmed red rose can be very romantic. Some men dislike the idea of buying flowers because they’re going to die in a few days any way. Remember I said that Valentine’s Day gifts shouldn’t be practical.

Gifts that mix several of these categories are even better. For example, you can put a ring in a box of candy. Just make sure she doesn’t bite into it. And if you can include a cuddly stuffed animal with the gift, you get extra bonus points. Give her a teddy bear wearing a necklace that’s for her. Add a heart-shaped box of candy and you have a great gift.

You may have noticed that there are several things that are not on the lists. Forget any gifts that have to do with cooking, cleaning or business. Remember this is a romantic holiday. You shouldn’t get her something that she needs, even if it is red.

So remember the big three - jewelry, candy and flowers. Just add a romantic card and get ready for a Valentine’s Day that your sweetie will remember for a long time.

This article comes with reprint rights providing no changes are made and the resource box below accompanies it.

Laura Browne is the author of a practical, fun & easy-to-use book for women, Why Can’t You Communicate Like Me? How Smart Women Get Results At Work. To register for her Free Teleconference on How To Deal With Difficult People, go to http://www.inyourfaceink.com (This book is available at the website and at Barnes & Noble online.)

When Laura isn’t writing, she helps women be more successful through WOMEN Unlimited, a nationally recognized resource for cultivating leadership excellence, http://www.women-unlimited.com.

(This article was originally printed in The Point North Magazine.)