The Day of Hearts for loved ones also means a day when sales on different Valentine  accessories or keepsakes skyrocket. Buying months in advance just loses the excitement and adventure (-besides the thing we could've wanted then may have changed =0). Just like all yearly celebrations, some men (not all! ) are clueless with what makes a gift a romantic Valentine's Day gift… Women are simple (we just don't come with a manual), so an I-heart-U gift should have a basic criteria:
Know thy other half…Gift must be bought because YOU thought long and hard about it – effort gets A's you know. The feeling that a partner knows you so much adds value to the gift, unlike the random gifts picked in a hurry (Oh honey, thank you…What is it?). Never say someone told you to get it. For long-time couples a woman would focus on the phrase “I didn't know what to get you…” Come on, know your partner enough to know…
Love for all…Valentine Candy/Chocolates, Flowers and Cards are general tokens. Unlike the past, these  gifts were reserved for courtship. Today, chocolates,flowers and cards are exchanged by all (mother, brother, sister, child, friends or office mates). I'm not sure what it is but women would really like to see their value through a gift. Men who go through all the trouble picking the right gift without thought of the price or time they'd spend on it makes any girl giddy.
Toss Routine OUT! Some women dread Valentines with their partners, it being the same old thing. Valentines is special for every girl with a partner especially when he surprises her every year. An intimate dinner, a night dancing or a retro “drive-in-movie” date would make any girl (16-80 years old) feel super loved.
Bottom line, as much as men don't understand women, gifts are like snapshots of memories each with its own frame and caption kept close at heart.