The practice of giving flowers as gifts is rooted far back in history. Ancient Egyptian and Chinese writings record many examples of flower-giving and flowers associated with burials date back even earlier. But giving flowers as tokens of affection, in the way we do today, did not become widespread practice until the Middle Ages.

Flowers are highly symbolic and would be chosen to convey specific messages to the recipient. Any fan of Shakespeare will recall Ophelia’s poignant distribution of flowers just before her tragic drowning in ‘Hamlet’. The mad Ophelia gave out rosemary for remembrance; columbines, associated with unfaithfulness in love; rue, which symbolised sorrow and repentance; and daisies for deception to those around her who had betrayed her in their different ways. She claimed the violets, which were associated with faithful love, had all withered when her father had died, and whose cruel death had brought on her madness.

The fascination with flowers and their meanings reached new heights in Victorian times when many books were published on the subject. Courtship was a much subtler business then than it is today and giving bouquets of carefully chosen flowers conveyed a wealth of meaning to the recipient. The red rose became the most powerful symbol of ardour and retains its significance even today, making it the flower of choice for lovers, especially on St Valentine’s Day.

But gifts of flowers are not only welcome on Valentine’s Day; they are given and received with pleasure on birthdays, anniversaries or any special occasion. They are given to cheer up the sick, comfort the bereaved and pay tribute to lost loved-ones. Lilies and Irises are traditional funeral flowers as they signify devotion and faith as well as resurrection and safe passage.

Giving flowers can brighten any day and makes it special. We take them to people’s houses when we visit or give them on first dates as a peace offering or an ice-breaker. The fact is that flowers can speak volumes for us and express our sentiments often far more eloquently than ordinary language.

Valentines Day is the perfect time of the year for romance and for people to show their love in all types of ways. When love is in the air and Valentines Day approaches, a man and woman will come up with creative ways to says “I Love You” to one another. Many men think that it is important to recognize their love because the person is so special to them and they could not imagine what their life would be like without that person being in it.

There are men who believe actions speak louder than words, and the women who are loved by these men are liable to get a number of holiday gifts from them in one day. Since some women like expensive things like diamonds or other glittering objects the men might place one or two of those things on their pillow that morning.

They might include a dinner invitation on their breakfast plate and have wine chilling when they arrive home from work that evening.

Some men go to extremes to show their love for the lady in their life on Valentines Day by parking a new Mercedes Coupe in the driveway with a big red ribbon wrapped around it and a card that tells the woman how the love of her life feels about their relationship and the life that they have built together. Some women might see this and take a totally different attitude about Valentines Day.

These women will be totally disenchanted about this lovers holiday because they are without a mate and have been for some time. They might get the surprise of their life, however when an old boyfriend from the past shows up at their door on Valentines Day and invites them out for a night of dining and dancing. There attitude about the Valentines Day gifts and the holiday in general will change very fast and they will certainly be glad that it did.

The holiday gifts for Valentines Day can also be for high school sweethearts or even for a child that is in kindergarten. While some levels of passion might not exist, it is always nice to treat a best friend or buddy with a gift that they are not expecting even on this most passionate day of the year. A little boy would enjoy a Valentines gift in the shape of a car just as a man would appreciate owning a designer watch with emblems all over it.

There are no rules to buying holiday gifts for Valentines Day. They can be as simple as greeting cards that tell other people how special they are.

Valentines Day is the one day of the year when actions and words speak the most and the size of the thought is never thought of. Valentines Day is just a special occasion that people get the chance to show they care in so many ways and many children get their parents Valentines Day gifts to show that they are appreciated for the things they do for them every other day of the year.