On Valentine’s Day, millions of people around the world will exchange a variety of gifts to show their love for each other.

When people think of Valentine’s Day gifts, they often think of chocolates, flowers, or a cute stuffed animal. All of these are traditional staples of Valentine’s Day.

In many stores, people will find traditional heart-shaped objects and red and pink Valentine’s gifts. Though all these gifts are very cute and traditional, they are not always truly meaningful.

A simple way to make a Valentine’s Day gift more meaningful is by picking something more personalized.

Service Learning Coordinator Kristen Brown said Valentine’s gifts should be “something thoughtful; it doesn’t have to be bought in a store but just something that shows that the person knows you and was thinking about you and truly appreciates you.”

Customized items can show a significant other that you pay attention to small details and truly know the way to their heart.

This could be as simple as a personalized note or handmade card or for something more extravagant. Scrapbooks and picture frames can show that someone cares by helping to capture and preserve memories together.

Scrapbooks can hold many memories from the previous year leading up to Valentine’s Day. This could hold significance to someone for years to come.

A simple picture in a cute frame is a timeless gift as well.

Junior Bennett McAdarra said, “Handmade gifts are meaningful because the person thought about you and made the gift specifically with you in mind.”

Handmade gifts are also budget friendly; people could use supplies that may be in their homes or buy a few small craft supplies from a store for a low cost.

Science Teacher Shane Lawler said, “For me, a Valentine’s Day gift is something homemade like a card or nice note instead of something from like a store or so traditional. I also enjoy the Valentine’s Day cards from my kids.”