Ah, Valentine’s Day! The holiday that is beloved by couples around the world and pretty much hated by everybody else. As we all know, the tradition on this day is to give and receive gifts from your loved ones. But, let’s be honest. Valentine’s Day is a 700-year-old holiday — these gifts are getting old. So, here are what I believe to be the top five worst gifts that one can give or receive on Valentine’s Day.

The number one gift that we all know and pretend to love is the classic chocolate in a heart-shaped box. Not only is the chocolate usually bad and bland but it also always feels like a rushed and last minute gift, and the chocolate just ends up staying in the box for months, until it is stale and ready to throw out. Your significant other does not need to give you a heart-shaped box to show their love for you.

“I personally feel as though receiving a heart shaped box of chocolate is one of the most basic gifts a significant other can give to someone. It’s very generic and it’s been overused for the past generations,” Lexi Smith ‘23 said.

I know that the boxes of chocolate are usually the first thing you see when you walk into the grocery store, but next time you see them, I would just keep walking.

The second most unwanted gift is a teddy bear. Teddy bears never have a purpose unless you give them to a younger cousin or sibling to play with. The teddy bear gift idea is very childish and is not a gift that I would appreciate receiving — especially if it’s one of those bears holding the heart saying “I LOVE YOU.” Unless the teddy bear has a special meaning to me, I would probably end up forgetting about it and throwing it out. The gift seems as if it was picked as a backup and was thrown into the cart.

“I don’t like it. It is cringe,” Alina Perez ‘24 said. “I just feel like it’s not something I’d want, not something I’d need, and not something that would go to use.”

Our next offender is Valentine’s balloons. These are possibly one of the most impractical gifts given on Valentines Day. Do I look at the balloon and smile? Do I bring it down to my eye level? Do I hug it? Nope!

“Balloons are just not practical. They end up taking space in my room and they stay there until they finally run out of helium and just fall on the floor,” Audrey Lawlor ‘23 said.

The most unoriginal balloons are the red heart-shaped ones that were clearly picked up the day of. If you know what I am talking about you can probably already picture exactly how it looks. Double points if the balloon is tied to a teddy bear hanging at the bottom.

Flowers take fourth place on our list of worst gifts, specifically the typical dozen red roses. We can all see the red bouquet coming from a mile away. Usually, unless the roses were bought a couple hours before received they are dead and already turning a black/dark red color. Not to mention the significant other is left searching for a vase that will fit the roses perfectly.

“Personally I don’t like red roses. They just feel like everyone gets them and it is nothing special anymore. I honestly would prefer any kind of flowers but the red roses are overdone and very predictable,” Paige Perkins ‘25 said.

Furthermore, if you are not good with keeping plants alive, prepare to watch the bouquet wilt and say goodbye to the roses in a couple of days.

And lastly, we have the infamous chocolate covered strawberries.

“I hate receiving chocolate covered strawberries. They are always so impractical to eat. After one strawberry I usually feel sick and not in need to eat another,” Julia Orue ‘24 said.

If the strawberries aren’t fresh, then the chocolate melts and gets all over one’s hands. This gift is also one that will be gone and forgotten in a couple days, unless you keep the box for some  reason.

Overall, the general trend is this: get your significant other something meaningful and sentimental for this Valentine’s Day! While these five ideas are sweet and show a small amount of effort, I’d much rather have a gift that’s related to an inside joke or a shared experience — not a box of tasteless chocolate from CVS.