This time of year is big for my boyfriend and I. We have Valentine’s Day, then a month later we have our anniversary, and then a month after that is my birthday. So needless to say you would think we spend a lot of money on gifts during that time, but I’m glad we don’t.

Last year, we decided that we would only do Valentine’s Day gifts and then go out to a nice dinner for our first anniversary and that was nice, so this year we decided to do the same, we would only get gifts for Valentine’s Day. That was until Valentine’s Day rolled around and we both got caught up with our everyday lives and both of our pay days happened to be after Valentine’s Day.

For Valentine’s Day, we are spending time together. No, it’s not something I can open or something that I can boast about on social media, but it’s something that is meaningful to me.

We put too much pressure on gifts. We tell our significant other what we want and if we don’t get what we want or at least something we mentioned, we get upset. Why do we do that?

Would I have loved a present? Yes, yes I would have, but after deciding with Patrick that we weren’t going to do presents, I’m not upset.

Pat and I have been together for two years. We bought a lot of gifts and spent a lot of money on each other and the gifts he has bought I love so much, but they are material things. I love that he spent time last Christmas making me a tie blanket and that he knows I’m nerdy so he bought me the new Pokemon game, I love that he knows me so well to know what I love, but he doesn’t have to prove that to me with presents.

He can prove it to me with folding my laundry without asking, volunteering to do the dishes after dinner even though he cooked, and letting me have the last tater tot because he knows how much I love them.

I don’t need to be showered with gifts to know that I’m loved, I know I’m loved because my best friend makes me feel that way. Gifts should not be expected or needed, they should be surprises and the cherry on top.

I don’t need a present this Valentine’s Day, I just need down time spent with my best friend in the middle of a crazy week. He is my present.