Choosing a Valentine's Day card can be an overwhelming experience when faced with shelf upon shelf of options. But choose wisely! The right one and you can have your partner swooning at your feet. The wrong card and you can find them wondering if you really are The One for them after all...

Great Expectations

She hears the click of the letterbox -- the plop as the card falls through onto the mat. With equal measure of trepidation and excitement, she carefully slides the Valentine's Day card from the thick red envelope. She opens it, desperate to read the loving message so carefully thought out and written in your very best handwriting when -- suddenly -- a chorus of chipmunks burst into "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine... "

Hero to Zero

Let's face it, after being bombarded by singing chipmunks, your one true love is more likely to run for the hills than into your arms. A Valentine's Day card should be more than a token gesture. It should say a thousand things, "I love you", "you make me complete", "I want to spend my life with you", and yes, I suppose in a way, "you are my sunshine" -- but only if you can find a way of saying it without the help of Alvin and his backing singers. The card you choose should be a reflection of your relationship and the future you hope for. It should be personal, and above all, it should make your Valentine feel like they are the most important person in your life.

Don't Panic

It's easy to go into a blank stare when faced with a wall of reds, pinks, golds, flowers, puppies, scenes of the Lake District and so on. In sheer desperation, it's all too easy to convince yourself that the card with a frog in a frock asking, "your pad or mine?" is a beautiful romantic gesture -- or at least that, "it'll do" -- BUT STOP! If your beloved isn't going to be swept off her feet by a chorus of singing chipmunks, then neither will she be wooed by a cross-dressing frog!

Knowledge is Power

Be personal. Use your knowledge of your Valentine's likes and dislikes to choose an appropriate card. If they go all gooey eyed over fluffy bunnies wearing bows -- that's your winner. If they're particularly keen on the Lake District, scenic views it is! You're trying to show that you know them and that you listen to them (even when Question of Sport or the Eastenders omnibus is on). You're trying to show that, even when it winds you up that she's "been in the tool box", or when he snores like a trombone right in your ear, your love is unwavering. And if you can't find an appropriate Valentine's card, you're far better choosing a blank one and writing your own verse -- or even making one yourself -- than opting for something unsuitable as a last act of desperation.

The Extra Mile

How you go about giving your Valentine their card can be just as important. On the tray delivering their breakfast in bed first thing in the morning? Hidden in their bag for them to find on their lunch break? Propped up against a personalised bottle of champagne on a candle-lit table with their favourite meal when they get home from work? Next to a bath of scented oils with a box of their favourite chocolates -- a trail of rose petals guiding them up the stairs? However you go about it, the goal is setting the scene for your gesture and preparing them to sit and reading a card that, in essence, simply says "I love you".

Conclusion

Valentine's Day comes around only once a year. Embrace it. Enjoy it. And above all, make the most of the chance to be as romantic and soppy as you like without anyone passing judgement! Don't waste it on a silly pun, or you may find that when it's all over -- the joke's on you...