Forget Diamonds: Women Want a Godiva Chocolate Box for Valentine's Day

Godiva had a promotion called Chocolate and Diamonds but it's not something you can buy - but I have a solution for that! The Godiva promotion was to win one of their diamonds with chocolates. Odds are, you won't be one of them. So here's an even better solution for you guys who want to give your special woman the same chocolate and diamonds gift.

First, go to Amazon.com and buy two things:

1.) The 10k White Gold Diamond 3-Stone Heart Pendant - which is the #1 bestselling diamond pendant online and...

2.) The Godiva Valentine's Day Gift Box - now you could choose alternative Godiva chocolate boxes, but this particular one is the bestseller and it's very elegant.

What you do is wrap the pendant in a lovely red piece of tissues (wrapping tissue that you can buy anywhere like Wal-Mart). You gently place it inside the box of chocolates and then hand her the box of chocolates on Valentine's Day, insisting she take a look at how beautiful the actual chocolates are inside (they truly are beautiful chocolate designs).

She'll be so excited and impressed at your thoughtfulness - and women LOVE surprises like this! The Godiva 12 pc. Valentine's Day Truffle Gift Tin that I've linked to above (which is rated a full 5 stars by consumers) has decor on each little piece of chocolate in the shape of a heart. Some of the flavors include Chocolate Mousse in a milk chocolate shell, Chocolate Soufflé enrobed in dark chocolate, and exotic Passion Fruit in a white chocolate embrace.

Okay I went straight to the horse's mouth for this tip. I went to a MAN to ask what he would want for Valentine's Day and I discovered there are two ways you can give the perfect Valentine's Day gift for him - and in fact, you can combine the two if you want for a MEGA romantic experience!

First off, forget the cute Valentines for him. No grown man wants or needs a tiny stuffed bear with a heart on its t-shirt. They also don't want gifts that are a little too practical. An electric razor doesn't convey "I want you and love you" message you're trying to get across - it says to him, "You need to shave more often, so here's something to help."

I'm going to keep this tip G rated but the first thing I found out is that for Valentine's Day gifts for him, men want romance. Not the "open your door for you" romance, but they want you to get all fixed up, give a nice oil body massage, and pamper them a bit with a kind of "romantic" vibe going on (if you know what I mean, wink wink). I always like to go to my local grocery store to pick up a box of fresh rose petals but you can order scented ones online. I also get the body oil that's scented for my husband's back and body rubs.

You can spice this night up as much as you want. There are many romantic items for sale with free shipping in discreet boxes on Amazon.com. Now what if you want a tangible gift to give him? I have an answer for that, too.

The man I asked suggested you get really personal for him. Get things you know he likes. Does he read a particular author? Can you possibly get an autographed copy? How about sports teams? Does he listen to a particular band? Can you give him a basket of his favorite foods and offer to cook it for him any night of his choice? Steer clear of razors, though.

Godiva chocolate gift baskets are great for many reasons. They load the recipient up on a wide variety of items. They're pretty, often topped with a pretty red or gold bow or ribbon. But they also, to me at least, convey convenience and minimize personalization. A gift basket is something you SEND - to a co-worker, to a client, to your mother in law.

A box of chocolates, especially Godiva boxed chocolates, is something you GIVE (not send) to a woman you are in love with. It's personal. It's romantic. She opens the box (also often adorned with pretty packaging) and she finds the special gifts inside - tiny morsels of love she can indulge in and think back on the day that you gave them to her.

Chocolate gift baskets are often ripped apart by an entire household. "Oh you got a chocolate gift basket? Thanks, Mom - I want this and this!" Hmm - that's not very special. Godiva chocolate boxes come in a wide variety, too. She can get caramel, white, dark or milk chocolates, truffles, boxes of chocolate covered fruits, and more.

What do you think - chocolate boxes or chocolate baskets from Godiva for your special Valentine?

Imagine the look on her face when she finds out that you made her your very own Valentine's Day gift basket - full of exactly the type of things she loves - including Godiva chocolates.

Men sometimes get worried about what to give for Valentine's Day - and many prefer to just buy something readymade. But extra brownie points are given to men who go the extra mile and trust me, we women don't care if it's perfect - it's the effort that went into it that counts. So here's how to make your own Valentine's Day gift basket for her:

1.) Buy a cute empty gift basket online. Make sure it's one with a handle.

2.) Buy the items you want your Valentine to have. Might I share some suggestions? A perfect Valentine's Day gift basket would include:

- Godiva gourmet chocolate (of course)

- Her favorite women's perfume (look on her dresser - my favorite is )

- Some spa items for the bath (look in her bath area to see what scent of shampoo she likes, or body wash - my fave is anything sugar scented and my husband gave me one of those bath pillows which is Heavenly.)

- A good book or two (look on her nightstand or bookshelf - I personally love Jodi Picoult books)

- A romantic piece of affordable jewelry like a Platinum Overlay Sterling Silver Black & White Diamond Heart Pendant that's about $25 but looks like it costs $225.

3.) Put it all inside your gift basket and top it off with a beautiful red bow. When you give it to her, make sure you explain how you were spending time searching for the perfect Valentine's Day gift basket or gift but nothing was "her," so you took matters into your own hands and made one especially for her.

She'll FLIP!

Okay I know not everyone wants to take the do-it-yourself route or buy a Valentine that doesn't look like a Valentine. Lucky for you, Godiva Valentines are abundant in nature, so you have plenty to choose from! (You can see some of them below and click through on the link here in this article to see them ALL).

When I was a little girl I remember my dad bringing me these gigantic beautiful velvet or satin Valentines Day hearts filled with chocolates. I LOVED them then and I LOVE them now. Chocolate is for love of all kinds, but it CAN be very romantic.

True story about how romantic chocolates are:

I have a lot of clients who send me gifts thanking me for what I teach them in our industry and sometimes it's a spa gift basket or a gift certificate to Starbucks or Barnes and Noble. But one time I had a client send me a gift basket of chocolates. My husband had never questioned any of the other gifts but the chocolate gift basket made him ask me "who is sending chocolates and why?" LOL! He didn't like the fact that some other man was sending chocolates. Why? Because it's romantic and special.