Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

The Anchoress

Home
Catholic
Last Minute Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas

Last Minute Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 12:26 am by Elizabeth Scalia

Last Minute Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas 2015-03-13T00:26:55+00:00 Elizabeth Scalia

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Looking for a little “token”? these earrings are so pretty!

I know, it’s Wednesday, so this really is “last minute”, although if you have Amazon Prime and the weather holds you might be able to do some of this online, if not, you may well be able to find some of these things in your local drugstore — you have to go there to get the candy, anyway — or a local bookstore. The earrings above are inexpensive and pretty (I have them, and love them) and none of these ideas are costly. My husband and I don’t “celebrate” the day, but sometimes a small little gift is nice, and any of these recommendations would qualify.

Nothing says Valentine’s Day like roses, but the prices are so ridiculous for the real things, why not consider rose-scented products, instead, especially if someone (like me) has been complaining about dry skin over this awful winter?

I’ve been using this stuff in the shower for the past 2-3 weeks and it has made a huge difference both in how my skin looks and feels, and also in my mood. Turns out, I like smelling like roses — who knew? I follow up with Taylor of London’s rose-scented talcum powder and it makes my whole world smell pretty! The English certainly know how to do roses in their beauty products!

For my face, I follow washing with Thayer’s incredibly great toner, made with rose petals and aloe. It smells great, drives the puffy eyes away, and it’s like giving my skin a blast of spring. I’m taken to putting some in a small atomizer to just spritz on my face over the course of a day. Instant pick-me-up!

For a moisturizer, I still love my Pond’s dry skin cream in the day but for nighttime, I have taken to using Bel Essence All-Natural Anti-Wrinkle Treatment. I’m not kidding when I say my skin looks better than it has ever, in my whole life. This combo of rose toner and good moisturizers has dealt a KO punch to my blotchy, open-pored, Irish skin. I’m no longer ruddy, and I look younger to boot.

If your sweetie likes his hot beverages to remain hot, go for this Thermo Ceramic Desk Mug. My husband gave it to me for Christmas, and I love it. No longer do I life coffee to my lips while working only to find it gone cold, and the ceramic lip keeps it from feeling like I’m drinking out of a travel mug, all day. If a coffee mug seems unromantic, fill it with chocolate kisses for presentation!

And of course, books always make great gifts!

First up: If you and your sweetheart are bookish, and interested in religion (and there is a good chance that that’s so, if you’re reading me) I recommend a book with Romance in its title, Father Dwight Longenecker’s new one, entitled The Romance of Religion.

Here’s what I wrote about it, when I read it:

Longenecker invites the reader to gather shield and buckler and ride off with him to discover the romance within the great counter-cultural quest that is Christianity — a continual fight for life, love and truth set amid the tilted windmills of modern ideologies, trends and entertainments. In an era of dark anti-heroes like Dexter Morgan and Walter White, Longenecker — with wit, literary insight, and a deceptively deft hand — makes the case for old-school, faith-informed heroism, where the way to victory runs counter to the world’s understanding and the depths of our wounds are remarkable not for their power to deter, but for the guiding lights they emit as we move forward. The Romance of Religion brings together magic and superheroes and idols and villains and even the strong, remarkable women without which no great adventure is complete.

Also, keeping with the books for a minute, two more that might be of specific interest to your Valentine’s Day sweetie: Dr. Gregory Popčak’s classic, Holy Sex!: A Catholic Guide to Toe-Curling, Mind-Blowing, Infallible Loving. It is indeed something special*. It is everything the world doesn’t get about Catholic teaching on sex, but it’s funny, warm and — as everyone I have ever talked to about it has said, “just the best”. That’s because it is a most human, and honest and helpful sort of guidebook.

Another human, honest, helpful and funny book on Catholic sex is Simcha Fisher’s best-selling (and now in hardcover) The Sinner’s Guide to Natural Family Planning. I know what you’re thinking: “Anchoress, I am not sure we want to spend our Valentine’s Night thinking about mucus.” I don’t blame you, but trust me, while you’re reading important and interesting stuff, you’ll be laughing your head off and intimate laughter in pursuit of a common goal is a powerfully romantic thing. Quite appropriate, then.

Perhaps less obviously romantic — okay, it’s not romantic at all, but Instapundit linked to it! (thank you, Glenn!) my collection of new and previously-published essays might make someone laugh or cry. Or both.

*Edited due to inaccurate quote via my bad memory.

Valentine's Day Gift Ideas

Previous Post

February 11, 2014

"If you do not love, you do not know." Benedict, Francis and a Relevant Church

Next Post

February 12, 2014 Michelle's #Bowdown Dress an Overrated Rare Mis-step

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category "Remaking" Ourselves 'Remaking' America 9/10 Mindset 9/11 trials Abortion ACORN Adoration Advent Advent 2008 Advent 2009 Advent 2010 Alternative Energy Alternative Media America American Catholic Church American Church American Genius Ameridolatry ANCHORESS BOOKSHELF Anglican-Roman Reconciliation Answers & Questions Anti_Semitism Archbishop Hilarion Ayn Rand Bad Mass Barack Obama Baseball Benedict Benedict & Islam Benedict in UK Benedict XVI Benedictine Bill Whittle Birth Control Blogs and Blogging Blogs and Blogging Bloodless Coup Bobby Jindal Bookchat Breitbart Bride at every wedding... Bride at every wedding... Buckley Bullies Bush Bad? Bush Good Buster Capitalism Catholic Fiction Catholic Vocations Catholicism Celibacy Chaput Charitable Stuff Chesterton Chile Chris Christie Christians in Exile Christine O' Donnell Christmas Christmas Gift Ideas Church Hates Science? Church hates women Communion of Saints Compline Conclave 2013 Confession Constitutional Stuff Conversion Crisis & Opportunity Critical Thinking Crooks and Liars Crucible of Faith Cuba Culture of Life Culture of Life/Death Culture of Treason? Dancing Death Dialogue re Islam Dick Meyer Divorce and Remarriage DOJ Domestic Terrorism Dominican Order Don't try me too high Dowd Dumb Democrat moves Dumb GOP moves Economic woe Education Egregious Harry Reid Elder Son Elder Son's Sweet Girlfriend Elderly Election '10 Election '12 Election '16 Election 2004 Election 2006 Election 2008 Election 2010 Election 2016 Elena Kagan Elitism Embryonic Stem Cell Research End Times? English language Enhanced Interrogation Erosion of Rights Eucharist Euthanasia Exorcism Extraordinary Synod Facebook Faith Faith and Reason Faith Friday Faith Perspective Faithful Friday Fascism Again Fascism in America Fatima FCC Feminism Film First Things Forgiveness Fr. James Martin Francis and Islam Francis in America Frassati Fred Thompson Free Speech? Freedom of Worship FutureChurch Global Pandemic GOP Congress Haiti Head Covering Health Care Here and Queer Hermits Heroes Hitchens Holy Spirit Holy Week '09 Holy Week '10 Hoo-Hah & BS Hoo-Hah & BS Icons Illegal Immigration In The Arena Interviews Interwebz Iran Uprising Iraqi Christians ISIL ISIS Islamic State Islamification/Islamofascism Islamification/Islamofascism Isra-El It's all about me! Me! ME! James Burke Jerry Lewis Jesus Christ Joblessness John Boehner John McCain John Paul II John XXIII Juan Williams Just Words Katrina/Rita King is a Fink Latin Mass Leadership Lectio Divina Lent Lent '08 Lent '09 Lent 2010 Lent 2011 Limbaugh Listen to Lizzie Litigious Society Liturgy Liturgy of the Hours Mainstream Media Manliness Marriage Mary Media Excess Medical Merton Michelle Obama Mighty John O' Connor Misc. Miss Ella Missionaries Mitt Romney Monasticism My brother S My Irish Aunties Mystic Monks Nanny Statism Nature NEA Neri New Media Newman Noonan Notre Dame NPR Stuff Nun News Obama Bad? Obama Good? Obama White House Oil Spill Online Retreat '08 Online Retreat Days Oratory Orthodoxy Our Hillary! Parenting Passionists Patheos Patheos Book Club Patrons Paul Ryan Penance Penn Jillette Philosophy PJTV Podcasts Poetry Politics-free zone Pop Culture Pope Emeritus Pope Francis Prayer Predictions Priesthood Pro-Life Public Sector Unions Purgatory Questions about Catholicism Quotes of the Day Quoting the News Race in America rants Recipes Remarried Catholics Reposts by request Retreat thoughts Rome Rudy Giuliani Russia Saints Sarah Palin Scandal Scott Brown SCOTUS Scriptural stuff Secularism Send in the clowns Serving up hot links Sexuality Sherrod Shroud of Turin Sisters and Nuns Social Entrepreneurship Social Media Social Security Socialism doesn't work Sports and Faith Stem Cells Strange Gods Suffering Synod Tea Parties Tea Party Terri Schiavo The 9/11 Commission The Catholic Answer The Constitution The Desert The Fourth Estate The Pelosi The Perpetual Adolescents The Rosary Third Party? Timothy Dolan Touch of evil TSA Tsunami TV/Pop Culture/Music TV/Pop Culture/Music Twitter Uncategorized Unemployment Unintended Consequences US Military Vaginal Musings Vatican Vespers video faves Vile Joe Biden Voter Fraud War by Litigation War on Terror War, What it good for? Why can't weeee be ... World Youth Days Year of Faith Year of the Priest

Select a Month August 2016 July 2016 April 2016 March 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 March 2005 February 2005 January 2005 December 2004 November 2004 October 2004 August 2004

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What does "meek" mean in the Beatitudes?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Gentle and humble Angry and harsh Very rich Funny