The Most Popular Valentine's Day Gift For Couples Isn't What You Think
Valentine's Day is known as the day of love, but the way many people show their love is by giving gifts. The typical Valentine's Day gift usually involves some form of chocolate, a tradition that many believe started with the chocolate manufacturer Cadbury and their newly invented heart-shaped box around the year 1860. And along that vein, another popular Valentine's treat are chocolate-covered strawberries, which were made popular in Chicago in the 1960s to boost sales.
Recently, there have been some out-of-the-norm Valentine's options for those looking for something a bit more outside the box, like Little Caesar's Crazy Bread Bouquet, or Wisconsin cheeses' and Chick-Fil-A's attempts at mimicking heart-shaped chocolate boxes but filling them with cheese or chicken nuggets instead (respectively). But even these have not officially won the hearts of most people who celebrate the holiday. Fererro Rocher, a popular chocolate brand and Valentine's gift in and of itself, conducted a study and found that couples, particularly those who have been together for over 6 years, actually prefer gifts that let them express their love via romantic gestures over tangible items.
Experience trumps food and jewelry
Ferrero Rocher's study, in conjunction with OnePoll, a known survey site in the U.S., U.K., and other international locations, wanted to see what the most popular Valentine's gift was for couples who have been dating for several years. Their findings were surprising in that, while gifting chocolate is still one of the top ways to show your appreciation for a loved one, many couples choose to express their love by doing ordinary tasks like "restocking essentials like groceries and toiletries" instead, a source told Mashed.
Other findings revealed that 49% of respondents in relationships under 6 years did like to give physical gifts, and 48% of couples in relationships 16–20 years long liked a simple evening of chocolate and wine. Most touchingly, 64% of those together over 20 years actually opted to cook or bake for their significant other. If there is one thing for sure, it is that there is no shortage of sweetness to go around on the most romantic day of the year.