Love, sweet love. Valentine’s Day is the one day of the year where you get to profess all the gushy mushy affections towards yourself, your lover or even your pal and no one can say anything about it. This year is a little different, but the sentiment that we need to love each other and hold each other closer is more important than ever before. If you don’t know where to begin, don’t worry—we’ve done the heavy lifting for you. Here is your Ultimate Valentine’s Day Gift Guide
Girl Gang Goodies – Valentine’s Day and Galentine’s Day Goodies
Image someone would bake you cookies and bring them to your house? That’s Girl Gang Goodies’ specialty. Dubbed Toronto’s Best Chocolate Chip Cookie, this #womanowned decadent treat will leave you or your loved one feeling warm and fuzzy, and that’s not the ooey gooey chocolate filled delights talking!
“Shot Through the Heart” box of 80s Shots, Cloak Bar
Life is like a box of chocolates, Forrest Gump once said. But, why not take that box of chocolates, and add a curated box of 80s inspired shots instead? With cheeky shots like the Slippery Nipple and your classic Alabama Slammer, this box is like a time capsule that you and your special someone can enjoy together… or alone.
The Bod Con
Self love is the motto, whether you’re rolo solo dolo, boo’ed up, trying to be boo’ed up, or fresh off a breakup. A lot of self love comes from self acceptance, despite our circumstances, or in celebration of them. In celebration of all creatures great and small, why not give yourself or your pal a ticket to The Bod Con. Body confidence is one way to feel connected to ourselves. It’s a social movement that advocates for acceptance of all bodies and moreover that our value is not attached to what shape and size we are. The change is here. Let’s be part of it together.
Game Night – We’re not really strangers
A game of getting to know each other has never been so easy. Whether done virtually, or in person, with a pal or even on a first day, this game will inspire deep and hilarious conversation by prompting you to answer questions and allow you to deepen your existing relationships and create new ones.
Belize’s Virtual Nap
Share some travel-inspired ways to celebrate your loved ones this month, from recipes and movie suggestions to local gift ideas that propel the spirit of travel for future plans. Ex., Valentine’s Day nap: Carve out 20 minutes of your day to cozy up with your special someone with. Find your favourite spot to cozy up, turn your sound on, pretend you’re in a beach hammock, and drift away to the sounds and visuals of paradise for a blissful mental escape.
Province Apothecary Lover’s Oil
*Queues Marvin Gaye’s ‘Let’s Get it On’* This all-natural massage oil is the best way to have fun in the bedroom! This blend of 10 of the most sensual essential oils, including rose and , and a non-toxic rich and moisturizing base for a heightened massage experience is sure to bring you and your lover closer together.
Wyld’s Skinny Dipping Sex Gel
Skinny Dipping Sex Gel is a luxurious, water-based lubricant formulated with only the good stuff. Wyld is known for their all-natural, vegan, cruelty-free skin and body care that is also biodegradable and ocean and reef safe. It has added hydration properties that are gentle on sensitive bits and give you that extra slip. The formula is made with 100% natural, plant-based ingredients. Since it’s water-based, it’s safe on your toys and makes cleaning up a piece of cake. The Sex Gel is made with pleasure in mind and can be used for solo fun or with a partner.
Ryan Porter – Be your own sugar daddy Candle and Will You Be My Galentine Candle
These sweet and sassy candles are the perfect profession of self love and the meaningfulness and power of friendship. Buy one for yourself, or your gal-pal and be whisked away with smells as sweet as whipped cream and strawberries!
Takeaway dinner kit: Marben’s 80s Valentine’s Night In
Times have changed and while we can no longer dine-in, Marben has created The Market to help keep the joy of the culinary experience alive. Everything in the Market is made in-house, or from a farm/supplier that they know and trust to be ethical, sustainable and one of the best at what they do. In this time of uncertainty, why not make things easier and a lot more delicious? Food is good for the soul after all.
Peace by Chocolate
Treat your special someone with their one-of-a-kind Valentine Love Bars, with an even more one-of-a-kind story behind them: After the Hadhad family’s chocolate factory was destroyed in Syria, their family moved to Canada and eventually founded Peace By Chocolate, an artisan chocolate company that passionately blends chocolates with Middle Eastern-inspired fillings and ingredients, like nuts, fruit and spices.
Maker House Co.
This independent business is a staple in our nation’s capital, and has created all Canadian-made gift boxes that include chocolate, candles, unique gift cards and more. They even have a Galentine’s Day gift box for the beloved gal pals in our lives. Leslie Knope would be so proud.
Good Ol’ Fashioned Snail Mail
Nothing says I love you like a handwritten note. It’s quintessentially romantic. To make a seemingly simple and amazing gesture all the more special, why not send out your love letter with a Designs by Jules. Designed by Julia Cawse, a survivor of a bike accident in Toronto, Julia is making the most of her story to create stunning cards right in time for Valentine’s Day.