When you spy teddy bear armies, flower forests, and chocolates galore invading every respectable grocery store in sight, you know Valentine’s Day is drawing near. Here are some tips to being a perfect patron of this holiday.

Gentlemen:

Know her chocolate. Before purchasing the heavenly treat, know this crucial information: does she prefer milk or dark? Yes, there is a difference, and yes, it is of dire importance. Don’t know your Valentine’s partiality? Find out — or at least cut your losses with a nice variety box.

Be a flower-whisperer. When attempting to choose botanical bliss, remember that each bloom whispers its own message. Know what your bouquet is saying. Daisies or a colorful spring arrangement are on the casual relationship side, but are still cheerful and cute. Shooting for something a little more intimate? Roses are a wonderful choice (thorn-less please). Purple roses are fun and flirty. Red equals romantic. White roses have a wedding/engagement connotation. If you want to use these beauties, intersperse other vibrant blossoms. Movie-watchers who have seen “The Perfect Man” know that yellow roses are for your sick grandma. Want your valentine to feel like “she’s floating on a cloud of infinite possibility?” Choose the orchid.

Think outside the box. Creativity is romantic. Write a letter using candy hearts. Compose a poem. Incorporate shared memories into your gift. Ultimately, be yourself, be thoughtful, and don’t sweat it — you will do just fine.

Ladies:

Follow the way to a man’s heart. Unfortunately, most guys don’t appreciate a nice floral arrangement like we do, but, conveniently, their stomachs function just as well as ours. Make a grocery run, snag a dorm kitchen, and cook your valentine his favorite meal.

Pull a first grade. Your elementary school teacher had a good thing going. Coupon books can be more than freebee chore lists for parents. Make a cute little booklet for your valentine: Good for one batch of cookies. Good for one backrub. Good for one picnic date. Etc.

Write it down. Send that special someone a letter expressing what you appreciate about them. Take time to really think it through. See how many attributes and actions you can write down. He will feel loved and valued.

Everyone:
Be thankful. If you receive a valentine from someone, let them know you appreciate it. Even if it is someone you are not too enthused to receive from, be gracious and grateful for the compliment.

Spread the love. Valentine’s Day should be more than Biola Betty meets Biola Bob. Take time to let your friends and family know that you love and appreciate them.
Learn from the best. Seeking to learn how to truly love this Valentine’s Day? Look to love personified, Jesus Christ. 1 John 3:16,18 states, “By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers … let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.” Jesus loved through action and sacrifice. His love was deep, compassionate, undiscriminating. Surrender selfish desires. Seek to serve. Speak love without words.

Overflow. Grasp even the smallest implications of God’s unconditional, everlasting love for you, and you will be filled with joy and a longing to share this incredible love. Ask and God will fill you with love to overflowing. Without fear of running dry, you can pour out into others’ lives. “Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another … If we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us (1 John 4:11-12).”