Picking out the perfect Valentine’s Day gift is almost never an easy feat. Not only are you tasked with finding something within your budget and is relevant to your partner’s interests, but you also have to strike a balance between underwhelming and over-the-top. Sometimes, you nail it, and sometimes your gift falls totally flat. Let’s talk about the latter: the worst Valentine's Day gift you've ever received.
I'll share mine. I had been dating my then-boyfriend for just under four months by Valentine’s Day — admittedly, an awkward amount of time where choosing a gift is concerned. I decided to go the thoughtful route: I whipped up a box of homemade chocolate truffles and included a bottle of the same dessert wine we discovered on one of our first dates. He gave me — wait for it — a toothbrush. When I unwrapped it (out of the Walgreens bag it was rolled up in), he must’ve read the confusion on my face because he instantly added, “so you can stay over more.” I tried to justify the move as sweet in a strange way, but to this day, my girlfriends still use that damn toothbrush as a marker to measure how bad a gift is.
We’ve all heard about the Valentine’s Day gifts that dazzled via boastful Instagram posts. But what about the gifts that were cringe-worthy rather than cute? Alas, here are some the worst V-day gifts seven women of Reddit ever received.
Can't remember what the occasion was, but my ex gave me a painting, which might have been nice if he A) hadn't copied a present I'd given him the year previous, and B) used my best paints and my own canvas.
Although it was a step up from the several times he got me nothing.
— Fenvyre
A vacuum.
I was with the guy for two to three years at that point. First, I know he straight up forgot about Valentine's Day as he shows up with a $5 gas station gift of a single fake flower and a pack of peanut butter cups. Now before you call me shallow, the gas station was directly next to my apartment building and I saw it earlier the same day. Pretty positive he swung by there on his way over.
The make-up gift was an earring and necklace set. Yay, right? Wrong. My ears are NOT and never have been pierced.
A gecko. What a pain in the a**.
Blank store-bought Valentine's cards.
He said he didn't know what to write. Like a kid making an excuse for not doing his homework.
Painful, I know. PSA: A quality V-day present doesn't have to require tons of time or money — all it takes is a little thought about what matters to the person you love. But the next time you unwrap a lackluster (or just downright dreadful) Valentine's Day gift, rest assured: you're not alone. And hey — at least you'll get a hilarious story out of it (#neverforget).
