Celebrate Valentine's Day!

Hi neighbors.

If you haven't found a suitable gift for your valentine yet, you'd better get cracking. Of course you can fall back on the typical candy and flowers -- but that's not very creative.

There are plenty of valentine cards you can buy to express those special feelings you want to convey to your loved one.

Some even have music that plays when you open them or tiny digital recorders to record a message or a poem or song.

The main thing is, you need to think of a gift that is personal and expresses your feelings in a way your beloved will appreciate.

Guys don't really like new shirts for Valentine's Day. Gals don't like appliances.

Remember, you're trying to say "I love you" not "your cooking could improve" or "you look like a slob." While most of us haven't written poetry since our high school English teacher said we had to, you might consider giving it a try.

If nothing comes to mind right away, pick a song you like and change some of the words to apply to your own situation.

Don't send flowers to your valentine at her work place, unless you are sure your bouquet will be bigger, prettier and more impressive than those other guys might send to their valentines.

Flowers are the only public display of affection that needs to be extreme to be effective. If you can't afford to go overboard, save the flowers until she gets home ... or think of something else to give her.

A night out is a good gift for couples to give each other. Don't stop with dinner and a movie. Go to an early movie, enjoy a late meal, then go dancing.

If your budget doesn't stretch that far, pick up dinner on the way home, rent a romantic comedy and settle into the couch to enjoy time spent together. After the movie, put on some of your favorite oldies music and dance.

Valentine's Day can be a day for family as well as romantic involvelments.

If your valentine is a child or grandchild, you might try a game similar to hunting Easter eggs. Hide several small valentines (cards, candy, etc.) around the house and let the children hunt for them.

If you can draw or paint, make a huge colorful Valentine and cut it into puzzle pieces then hide the pieces. Once they find all of them, they can put together the Valentine puzzle.

What's Valentine's Day without candy? Not sweet enough, you say. Well, don't settle for just candy. Chocolate is the favorite treat for Valentine's Day; but it doesn't have to be in candy only.

Children can help make cupcakes, cookies or cream pies and decorate them with Valentine candies or tiny cards.

Make it a tradition to bring the extended family together for Valentine's Day. Share stories of how couples met, dating practices from one generation to another, wedding traditions and favorite dances or movies from your parents' or grandparents' dating days.

Some of the younger family members may find it difficult to believe that Grandpa could dance the Charleston for hours or that Mom won the Twist contest at the high school prom.

Having open discussions about meeting, dating and marriage and how love grows and is sustained can offer adults and children a terrific sense of stability and belonging.

Families are all about love after all, and isn't that what Valentine's Day is all about? Maybe your family could have a Valentine's Day gift exchange similar to Christmas where family members of all ages give and receive tokens of love. That would be a good thing! Making their own valentines is a great way for children -- and adults -- to work on finding just the right words to express themselves.

Until the next time friends remember Valentine's Day can be a day to share love with your spouse, children and extended family. A day when youngsters timidly tell a peer they 'like'em a lot' and adults can let their loved ones know just how important they are. It's a day to show those that matter to you that you love them --don't miss the chance!