Whoever came up with the idea of making heart-shaped chocolate had struck a goldmine. Women love chocolate and women love hearts; put the two together, and you’ve got a perfect gift, especially for Valentine’s Day. Stores flooded with heart-shaped candy before Valentine’s seem to prove it. But is it really a good gift idea? What about those who say that it is way too commonplace, unoriginal, and even thoughtless?

I love chocolate, plus I was raised to respect the “Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth” saying, so I personally would not be upset or offended if my man gave me a heart-shaped box of chocolate candy for Valentine’s. However, women who consider it a thoughtless, unromantic, last-minute gift do have a point. If you want to make your Valentine’s gift special, it has to be a little more personal. Your lady needs to see that you have put some thought in it.

If you know that she loves chocolate, a heart-shaped box of chocolate candy can be made special and personal, too. Stuff they flood store shelves with specifically for Valentine’s is usually not the best chocolate, so instead of getting one of those boxes I would advice making an extra effort of buying her favorite brand. Does she like Lindt Chocolate Truffles? (I am yet to meet a woman who doesn’t.) Lindt makes special Valentine’s packaging, so why not go find some online and make her smile when she sees that it’s not any heart-shaped box of chocolate but a box of Lindt – or whatever her favorite brand is.

Of course, this has to be done in advance, to make sure the candy arrives in time for Valentine’s. If it’s too late for that, do not be discouraged, here is what you can do. Buy a heart-shaped box of chocolate – yes, any of those regular ones; then buy her favorite chocolate and replace the regular stuff with it. You will have to open the box, of course, but that’s okay, she won’t mind when she sees what you did. Besides, you can nicely re-wrap the box yourself, which will add another personal touch to it. Make your own card to go with, and no one will be able to call your gift thoughtless or unoriginal. Enclose a gift card to your lady’s favorite store, and even the most picky ones will be pleased. Showing that you thought of her and remembered something she likes is the key here – as with any other gift, for that matter.