If you have a little extra money in your pocket and would like to spring for some unexpectedly beautiful flowers, Calyx Flowers are - in my opinion - among the more stunning. Of course, you don’t need to spend a lot of money to get your valentine flowers. Personally I am just as happy to get flowers from the grocery store. I even like drawings of flowers - seriously, flowers drawn on a post-it note would be adorable. If you care about each other, it really is the thought that counts.

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Pablo Neruda wrote many heart-wrenching or soul-lifting poems of romance (or despair). Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair is a good choice - in fact, it is this collection that apparently helped to launch Neruda’s career.  Another good Neruda collection is 100 Love Sonnets, which I happen to have - one of my favorite phrases from this book is "the land of kisses and volcanoes" - it comes from a poem that part of goes like this:

"…Woman from Arauco, maybe you didn’t know
how before I loved you I forgot your kisses.
But my heart went on, remembering your mouth — and I went on

and on through the streets like a man wounded, until I understood, Love: I had found my place, a land of kisses and volcanoes."

–

I think if you find a love like that even once - even if it is fleeting - then you can count yourself fortunate in love.

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Come Together: the name says it all. Not that simultaneous orgasms are needed, mind you - rather than it feels good to pleasure each other, or to pleasure each of your own selves in the company of your beloved.

This kit from Babeland includes a massage oil spray (genius!), the Laya spot vibrator on which women can lay down for a no-hands pleasuring experience (though you can hold it with one’s hands too, if preferred), a c-ring for guys, toy cleanser (gotta keep toys clean), condoms, batteries (for the sake of vibration) and little packs of lube. With these toys - and a little mood-setting and open, comfortable conversation - I can imagine quite a bit of romance going down.

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Brian Andreas is among my favorite artists. He has a unique style of drawing and painting but more than anything he is known for what he calls his "stories", which are actually usually just a line or two. I have two of his prints - Flying Woman and Disappearing - and two of his cards, too (one of them is Kindred Spirits).

If your Valentine likes art and romance, a Brian Andreas print may be a good option - and they’re actually quite affordable. Here are some that I like and you might too:

- Almost Beyond (image above)
- Hard to Forget - one of my favorites!! (big sigh)
- Curiosity 
- Just Friends (SUCH a sweet one…)
- Great Game
- Fair Trade - good for your dad or husband/babydaddy
- Backup Husband
- Eternal reward (great one for your wife, mom or grandmother!)
- Fast Forward - for girls to give to their best friend

There are others, of course, but this is a good start. Brian Andreas’ web site is www.storypeople.com

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If your Valentine is into gadgets or their Nano, he or she might like these Nano speakers that are ridiculously portable (just like the Nano!). Only $30 at RedEnvelope.com and then you can take your most romantic, get-in-the-mood tunes with you on any upcoming hotel jaunts or sexy nights in the bedroom.

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This one is a particularly good stocking stuffer:

3. Seriously, folks - not only does Good Clean Love have a great name, but it is one of my new favorite lubricants in the universe. It feels very natural, is not too sticky and is the perfect improvement upon my former-favorite-but-now-no-longer-in-existence, Sensua Organics.

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2. The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work - good for yourself, good for your partner, and a good gift for a young couple trying to make it work. Unlike a lot of pop psychologists out there, Dr. John Gottman is one of the most respected researchers in the area of relationships and marriage. This man knows what he’s talking about PLUS his books are really interesting and provide concrete tools for working on your love life.

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‘Tis the season where it seems like everyone wants to put their two cents in as to what YOU should get people for the holidays. Over the next week I’ll post my suggestions for gifts in the area of love, romance, and relationships… aside from the obvious (e.g., you, naked, with a red bow on a creative body part of your choosing).

1. Christmas cards - my all time favorite design is made by my friend Christine. Last year, this card actually made my mom cry (in a good way). Read the full tear-stained-cheek card here (hint: it involves your grandma).

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