Valentine’s Day Gift Guide 2020
Valentine’s Day is a holiday fraught with potential pitfalls for how to appropriately express your affection to your significant other or potential love interest. Do you take a romantic trip? Maybe go to a fancy restaurant? Or get them a thoughtful tech gift? What you end up deciding to do is likely going to depend a lot on your relationship and personalities.
So, tapping into the expertise of The Verge’s staff, and using a completely unscientific non-algorithmic approach, we came up with a list of great Valentine’s Day gift ideas. Whether you’re looking for a cooperative Nintendo Switch game, a fun DIY project, or some fashionable attire, we’ve tailored our ideas to the kind of relationship or partner you might have.
For the partner you both wish was more like Chris Evans in Knives Out
L.L. Bean Fisherman Sweater
Not everyone can be, or be in a relationship with, Chris Evans. For the rest of us, we can only take some fashion cues from him, like the cable-knit sweater he wears in Knives Out. It has a classic style that looks great on pretty much anyone, but especially Chris Evans. Price: ~$99
Buy on:
L.L. Bean
For the couple looking to work on their communication skills
Snipperclips Plus
Snipperclips is a Nintendo Switch game all about communication. Can you work with your partner to make the perfect shapes to complete the puzzles? Or will you fall to infighting as you snip each other away into nothingness? Snipperclips will help you put your relationship to the test — in adorable puzzles that are still simple enough for even the least skilled player to enjoy. Price: ~$29.99
For the partner who is always warm
Cuisinart ICE-21 ice cream machine
If your significant other can’t get enough ice cream (or loves fancy kitchen gadgets), pick up an ice cream maker. The Cuisinart ICE-21 is cheap, super easy to use, and makes bowl after bowl of perfect ice cream or sorbet. Maybe they’ll even share some with you. Price: ~$39.99
For the couple with cold feet
Alpaca wool socks
Socks may be the sort of boring cliched gift that people joke about getting, but a pair of fuzzy alpaca wool socks is anything but. These socks will keep your toes warm in the coldest of storms, and the alpaca wool is so soft that you’ll never want to take them off. Price: ~$22.99
Buy on:
Amazon
For the couple that wants to test out moving in together
Stardew Valley
How you play Stardew Valley says a lot about you. Is your house and yard kept clean, or in a chaotic mess with everything in no particular order? Do you remember to gift your friends on their birthdays? All of these things are important to know about someone, especially before you move in with them, and Stardew Valley is the perfect litmus test. Price: ~$14.99
Buy for:
Nintendo Switch
PlayStation 4
Windows PC
Xbox One
For the couple that’s gone to Japan and misses the bidet toilets
Tushy Classic
Bidet toilets are everywhere in Japan, and after you’ve used one you understand why. So after returning home, it’s likely you’ll find yourself looking to get one for your home. Most, however, can be expensive and require a good bit of work to install. The Tushy offers a much more affordable option that takes only a few minutes to install, while also having a great modern aesthetic. Price: ~$79
For the hot couple looking to spice things up
DIY hot sauce making kit
Heat things up — literally — with a DIY hot sauce making kit. Store-bought sauces not spicy enough? Take matters into your own hands and cook up a batch of the fiery sauce of your dreams. Price: ~$39.95
For the partner who can’t remember their passwords
Dashlane subscription
There are a lot of passwords to remember, and in 2020, you should give your partner’s brain a break. Dashlane can remember all of them, and better yet, it securely locks the vault of valuable login info so only they can access it. It also comes with a VPN, so you can securely browse or watch movies on streaming services while traveling outside the US. Price: ~$4.99/month
Buy on:
Dashlane
For the partner who loves the coat Dieter Bohn is always wearing in our YouTube videos
Buck Mason Felted Chore Coat
The number of people who want to know which coat Verge executive editor Dieter Bohn wears in our YouTube videos is staggering. We hear you, and we’ve heard from your partner, too. It’s called the Buck Mason Felted Chore Coat, and you’ll look great in it. Price: ~$225
Buy on:
Buck Mason
For the partner who loves The Verge and hoodies
Verge merch
If your loved one is constantly reading The Verge — first off, thank them for us. Second, check out our merch store, which is full of great gift ideas. Hoodies, mouse pads, mugs, stickers, posters, and yes, T-shirts. You’ll practically be a part of the team with all this gear. Price: ~$10 to $45
Buy on:
The Verge Store
For the partner who likes crime fiction
A beginner lockpick kit
Look, there’s nothing suspicious about cozying up with your partner and picking some locks. It’s a lesson in patience and persistence, and you never know when it will help you break into your own house when you forget the keys. Price: ~$40
Buy on:
eBay
For the couple who wants to watch movies together when traveling with wired headphones
Belkin Rockstar 5-way audio splitter
Few things are more romantic than cuddling up with a loved one to watch a movie or TV show on a tablet together. But if you want to do that while traveling on a plane, train or automobile, you’ll need a headphone splitter so that both of your headphones can use the device’s headphone jack. Price: ~$8.50
For the couple who wants to watch movies together on the in-flight entertainment screen with wireless headphones
Twelve South AirFly Duo
So you’re flying and you want to watch something on the airplane’s entertainment system, but your headphones are only wireless? No worries, this little device plugs into any headphone jack and makes it so you can effectively turn any non-Bluetooth audio device into a Bluetooth one. Price: ~$49.99
Buy on:
Twelve South
Amazon
For your kids, but is actually for you and your partner
Disney Plus
If your “kids” are big Disney fans, you’ll want Disney Plus — the one-stop shop for basically every Disney (and now, Fox) movie and show ever made, from the animated classics to Star Wars and Marvel to The Simpsons. There should be plenty for you and your partner — sorry, your “kids” — to watch for hours on end. Price: ~$6.99/month
Buy on:
Disney+
For the partner who needs a better wallet
Exentri Wallet
Minimalist wallets purposely can’t hold much in them, but that’s not true of the Exentri Wallet. It’s a tri-fold wallet that neatly tucks into your pocket, has a shocking amount of room for cards and even cash, and has a clever design that lets you easily slide out your most-used cards. It’s kind of magical to see one in action. Price: ~$59.95
Credits
Editorial lead: Michael Moore
Art direction: Grayson Blackmon
Illustration and animation: Michele Doying
Social media manager: Kaitlin Hatton
Copy editing: Kim Eggleston
Contributors
Cameron Faulkner, and Chaim Gartenberg.
Special Thanks
Russell Brandom, Aliya Chaudhry, Natt Garun, Helen Havlak, Barbara Krasnoff, Dami Lee, Andru Marino, Ross Miller, Kevin Nguyen, Jay Peters, and Dan Seifert.
Vox Media has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence editorial content, though Vox Media may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links. For more information, see our ethics policy. Prices displayed are based on the MSRP at time of posting.
Valentine’s Day is a holiday fraught with potential pitfalls for how to appropriately express your affection to your significant other or potential love interest. Do you take a romantic trip? Maybe go to a fancy restaurant? Or get them a thoughtful tech gift? What you end up deciding to do…
