Every year around Valentine's Day people flock to flower shops, pop-up stores, and malls looking for that perfect gift. The one that says "I love you." Is it that serious? It kinda is to the majority of people, men and women alike. But for different reasons. It's Valentine's Day after all! A day to celebrate romance and love.

Jeanne Collins, VP for Women’s Health at Prestige Consumer Healthcare says “Whether staying in, heading out with friends, or having a date night, the most important thing is celebrating the way you want.” I am pretty simple when it comes to Valentine's Day. Dinner or a card is good for me and pretty much the same for my hubby. I was interested in how we stacked up to others when it comes to the importance of Valentine's Day.

A 2022 article on What Men and Women Want For Valentine's Dayrevealed hundreds of people were surveyed on a variety of questions like "Who should pay for dinner?", "Are gifts important?", " How much should you spend?", and so on. selfcreditbuilder.com asked men and women how much they planned to spend on Valentine's Day 2023. The results of that study were:

The average amount people were willing to spend was $127.87. On Average, Men said they were willing to spend $133.19 and women said they would spend $123.82.

Of course, the percentages vary depending on the survey, but what I want seemed to compare to that of roughly 33% to 34% of all women who want a Traditional Gift. YouGovAmerica revealed women said they would be satisfied with one or two of the following gifts - a nice dinner out/date night, a card, chocolates or candy, and/or flowers.

As no surprise, 22% of men said sex would be the perfect Valentine's gift versus 17% of women who said the same thing. What was surprising was that 27% of men said their #1 choice for Valentine's Day is a card. Another (23%) of men surveyed said they would like a nice dinner out/date night. Traditional Gifts came out on top with men and women in this survey.

Results from a New York Post survey a couple of years ago were slightly higher revealing 45% of women wanted a Traditional Gift. However, 49% of women said, they want to plan the evening themselves and not leave arrangements up to their partner. Other stats broke down as follows:

- 57% of people feel the romance holiday is overrated

- Of those spending Valentine's with a partner 15% plan to have sex sometime during the evening.

- 29% plan on trying something new in bed

- 43% say sex is important

- Of those spending it with a partner, 23 percent are deciding the day’s schedule entirely and 15 percent are planning any sexual activities for the night.

- 52% of respondents think it's important to have a significant other to spend the day with.

When it comes to bringing sexy back, women showed they are all in! They want someone to spend Valentine's Day with, even if it's just for that one day. Below are additional stats indicating what lengths they will go to to make sure a romantic night goes smoothly.

Women bought new underwear/lingerie 51%

Purchased feminine care and freshening products 25%

Bought personal lube 22%

Purchased condoms 21%

Get a wax 21%

At the end of the day, it's the thought that counts. Effort goes a long way! Below is a look at some of the best gifts to get your Valentine this year.

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