As Valentine’s Day approaches, the search for the perfect gift to express love and appreciation intensifies. Whether you’re celebrating with a longtime partner, a new flame or a cherished friend, finding a thoughtful and meaningful present is paramount. Here is a handpicked selection of Valentine’s Day gift ideas—from the classics and beyond—that cater to a variety of tastes and preferences. From romantic gestures to personalized treasures, let this collection inspire heartfelt expressions for your special someone.

Heirloom’s Custom Video Books (https://sendheirloom.com)
Life is full of wonderful moments that are meant to be shared, so why not find a unique way to memorialize them for that special someone this Valentine’s Day? With Heirloom’s Video Books, customers can transform the hundreds—or thousands—of videos and photos taking up storage in the cloud into a five-inch, high-definition physical book. The company’s user-friendly process makes it easy for people to upload up to 20 minutes of video through its online builder, choose from 16 cover options, write a personal message and get a preview of the finished product. Once approved, Heirloom sends the custom creation directly to its intended recipient within just five business days. Even more, Heirloom Video Books don’t require special tech, WiFi or internet for playback. Users need only open the book to enjoy and cherish the curated, high-quality video as often as they’d like. Each purchase also includes a fully rechargeable battery, is reloadable and, like the memories it encapsulates, is made to last.

Chocolate Heart Pizza Smash w/ Mallet by Sugar Plum (www.sugar-plum.com)
Sugar Plum has handcrafted a Chocolate Heart Pizza that is meant to be broken! You will fall head over heels for this creative dessert, which comes with a wooden mallet to smash. Featured on the Food Network, this excellent Valentine’s Day gift is perfect to satisfy any sweet tooth. The Milk Chocolate Heart has toppings sweeter than anything on a pizza: crushed pretzels, cookies, potato chips, candied gems, and a drizzle of delectable white chocolate. After opening the decadence, the wooden mallet can be used to break the heart into bite-size pieces of chocolate to feed everyone the sweet feast. Hammer it home by ordering Sugar Plum’s heart-shaped dessert pizza. It is such a fun, unique treat for Valentine’s Day parties! Even better yet? The Chocolate Heart Pizza includes complimentary 2-day shipping, so you’ll be able to hammer this lil’ heartbreaker in practically no time at all!  In 1995, Sugar Plum Chocolates opened its first store in Northeast Pennsylvania, marking the inception of a remarkable journey. The mission was clear: to craft a candy business dedicated to spreading joy, one delectable bite at a time.

Personalized Wine Selections Courtesy of the ‘VinoVoss’ AI Sommelier by BetterAI (www.VinoVoss.com)
For many, the process of discovering and selecting the perfect bottle of wine—especially as a gift for another—can be overwhelming. That’s why BetterAI, a data technology company elevating the world of wine through the power of artificial intelligence (AI), has launched the world’s most comprehensive and intuitive wine search engine and recommendation system: “VinoVoss.” This revolutionary AI-driven, web-based platform makes it easier than ever for all wine enthusiasts—from novices to connoisseurs—to find the perfect wine for any occasion. Acting as a virtual wine sommelier, the VinoVoss semantic search and recommendation system harnesses the power of AI to provide personalized wine recommendations, catering to the unique preferences of each customer. The system has numerous capabilities, including allowing users to search for wines by grape variety, region or price; get personalized wines based on taste preferences; compare wines to find a perfect match for a meal; track their own wine collection and create a wish list; search for organic wines and more. Wine Discovery categories allow easy exploration by wine color and type, top occasions (like gift-giving or fine dining), unique picks (like celebrity or sommelier selections or rare collectables) and a fun “Surprise Me!” option. Of course, users can browse by varietals like popular, classic and emerging grapes and popular styles like fruity or bold. A “Regions” category is also handy for those who prefer geographic appellation-based sorting or even Terrior parameters like volcanic, coastal and high altitude. The real fun is asking VinoVoss human, conversation-style questions or providing prompts, like “What is the best wine from Chile?”; “I’m looking for a red wine that’s good with steak”; “I’m craving a bold, full-bodied red wine”; or “What Bordeaux do celebrities like that goes with pork?” The VinoVoss search engine is a powerful and streamlined tool helping users build knowledge and shop, sip and savor with more confidence than ever before.

Dress Socks from Southern Scholar (https://southernscholar.com/)
Show your feet some love this winter with a pair of Southern Scholar’s Dress Socks. These sophisticated, one-of-a-kind socks are tailored with the brand’s signature blend that are specifically built to stay in place throughout the day. Utilizing the 200 Needle Count Knitting process, Southern Scholar works exclusively with skilled manufacturing partners that source only the best materials to meticulously design each and every pair of socks in-house in Dallas, Texas—all while adding a subtle touch of sophistication to your look, of course. Plus, Southern Scholar is so confident about its product that it offers customers a 100-percent satisfaction money back guarantee. If you are ever dissatisfied with the quality, fit, comfort, color, pattern, style, stitching, feel, look, durability, lifetime or any other aspect of the socks, the company will refund or replace them—no questions asked. Southern Scholar’s expansive collection has designs that span from stripes to squares and fit anyone’s style. Customer’s can even join the brand’s Sock Club for seasonal pairs that are delivered to their door each month.

Shares from f2o Sports (https://wefunder.com/f2osports/)
Show your sports-enthusiast valentine how much they mean to you with a unique gift and empowering experience all in one, shares from f2o Sports. With a mission to create the world’s largest fan-based ownership community, f2o Sports—or Fan to Owner—invites fans to be more than just spectators. It encourages them to be owners of the game. Now, they have the opportunity to become shareholders and have a direct voice in club-level decisions. Through f2o Sports’ We Funder campaign, fans can gift shares that symbolize more than just financial investment, but represent a shared vision for a democratized sports industry. Currently, individuals are able to invest in Fan to Owner Futbol 1—a subsidiary of f2o Sports Corporation—which is set to acquire a soccer club in Spain. The holding company hopes to expand this model to encompass additional sports in the coming years. The goal is to support its passionate Fan 2 Owner community by adding new entities in other sports clubs around the world and help reshape the landscape of sports ownership.

Wooden Board Games by Across the Board (https://shop.atbgame.com)
Make every evening date night with Across the Board’s Wooden Board Games. Featuring options for all ages, these simple and fun games can be transported to house parties, tailgates, game nights and more. Across The Board’s handmade creations are developed with the highest quality materials, meaning they will last your family generations. The company offers a wide variety of well-known board games, including everything from classics like chess and mancala, to more nuanced sports interests such as  horse racing and motor speedway. Even more, they can be customized to showcase your loved one’s favorite sports team, family’s name or represent their alma mater—making them a thoughtful, screen-free experience intended to create meaningful memories. With several games on Amazon and the brand expanding to work with the top licensed brands such as PGA, Nascar and NCAA, there is something for all the sports fans out there. Family-owned and operated in St. Louis, Missouri, Across the Board prides itself on developing unique board games that are assembled with premium materials and the utmost care and precision. Its vision: To reinvent old classic board games that don’t require batteries, computer screens or electric outlets—encouraging personal interactions that can’t be replicated.

Regelica’s Skincare Products (https://regelica.com/)
Give your valentine the gift of loving the skin they’re in this year with skincare products from Regelica. Its Bakuchiol + Niacinamide Anti-Aging Cream combats the effects of thinning skin by visibly improving its density without causing irritation. Made with .5 percent Bakuchiol, five different ceramides, seven seaweed extracts and two percent niacinamide, this powerful formula also reinforces the skin barrier that protects us from everyday environmental exposure—helping to lessen the presence of wrinkles, tears and sagging in the face. The brand’s Mandelic + Edelweiss Renewal Serum is another customer favorite and exfoliates the skin, stimulates collagen and balances the epidermis with a combination of eight percent mandelic acid, edelweiss extract and resveratrol. Regelica’s incorporation of the edelweiss extract offers users a strong, but gentle, free-radical scavenger that is much more stable and less irritating than Vitamin C. The result: A reduced appearance of pigmentation, wrinkles and pores, as well as improved elasticity, firmness and brightness of the skin. Many U.S. and EU products try to mitigate decreased collagen production with potent active ingredients that often cause peeling and irritation, which can be damaging to the protective layer of the skin. But, at Regelica, the company’s product line focuses on achieving optimal results that are only accomplished by finding ways to visibly improve skin density without compromising the skin barrier.

***Some or all of the accommodations(s), experience(s), item(s) and/or service(s) detailed above may have been provided at no cost and/or arranged to accommodate this review, but all opinions expressed are entirely those of Merilee Kern and have not been influenced in any way as per the disclosure policy on our “Legal” page***