Valentine’s Day is celebrated in a number of western countries.

It is a day of huge celebration in the United States, along with Canada, the United Kingdom, France and of course, Australia, to name just a handful.

It is a common belief that Valentine’s Day is celebrated on February 14 to commemorate the death of St Valentine’s around 270 AD.

Other historians have formed the view that the Catholic Church placed the feast day of St Valentine on February 14 as it would fall a day prior to the pagan celebration day of Lupercalia, a fertility festival which honoured Faunus (the Roman God of agriculture) and well as Romulus and Remus – the twin brothers who according to Roman mythology were the founders of Rome and the Kingdom of Rome.

Pope Gelasius declared February 14 to be St Valentine’s Day towards the end of the fifth century but it wasn’t until many hundreds of years later that the date was to become specifically associated with love and romance.

Famed English Poet Geoffrey Chauncer (who also wrote the famed Canterbury Tales) mentioned St Valentine’s Day in his poem Parliament of Foules in 1375, the first official recording of this date as a day of romantic celebration.

February 14, 1966, was a huge day for Australians.

Not just because of Valentine’s Day but because it was also the date on which Decimal Currency (dollars and cents) replaced the Australian pound (along with shillings and pence).

For trivia buffs, and those of you not old enough to remember, the highest paper note value was initially only $20.00! There were no $5.00, $50.00 or $100.00 notes originally and the $1.00 and $2.00 denominations were at first paper, not coins!

Move forward 55 years and Valentine’s Day has never been bigger, commercially.

While it’s always been a busy time for florists, restauranteurs, chocolatiers and perfumiers, it’s no longer the exclusive domain of these professionals.

Especially in this age of technology, when people are so busy.

To save you some time and help you take some of the guesswork out of your last minute Valentine Day’s gifts, at Yes I Can Project Group, we have come up with a list of gift suggestions for your special belle or your beau.

Because love is in the air and we hope you have a great day on Sunday!

1. BATHROOM RENO: Yes I Can Project Group is Sydney’s most innovative building company, where we use state of the art virtual reality software so you can see just how your bathroom will look before it’s even built! We can transform your tired, old bathroom into a space of luxury at a price you can afford. We only use the best quality materials and experienced, fully licensed and insured tradesman, who will ensure an immaculately finished product. Come on guys, we know she already loves you but you will really be in the good books if you get your bathroom remodelled by Yes I Can Project Group!
2. EXOTIC PERFUME: You want to look great and you want to smell great! Whether you’re looking for a last minute gift for your wife, husband or partner, a bottle of amazing Bujairami Perfume from Stockland Wetherill Park is the answer. Manufactured in exotic Dubai and perfected in Sydney, Bujairami Perfume is available in some wonderful aromas for both guys and gal from as little as $40 a bottle….and their $110 gift pack is incredible value! www.bujairami.com.au
3. A DOZEN RED ROSES: A bunch of beautiful, nursery grown red roses has been the ‘go to’ item for gentlemen wanting to make their ladies feel special on Valentine’s Day since time immemorial! (Especially if you meant to buy her something more elaborate or more expensive but forgot and have run out of time!) A nice, healthy bunch of a dozen red roses will generally set you back around $100 – you may even get some change!
4. ROMANTIC WEEKEND: For less than $2,000, you can book a romantic weekend stay at the Park Hyatt Hotel, one of Sydney’s most famous five star hotels, with superb views of the world’s best Harbour.
5. MATCHING COUPLE’S JEWELLERY: An Australian company by the name of mynamenecklace.com boasts a wide range of very pretty and very cute His & Hers Jewellery, including a Couple’s Breakable Hearts Necklace, Personalised Bar Necklace for Couples and many, many more. You may have left it a bit late for Valentine’s Day 2021 though, so order early for next year.
6. GALAXY BUDS LIVE: Girls, Samsung currently has an amazing special for its very popular Galaxy Buds Live so that your man will experience the most incredible sound quality when listening to his music. Normally retailing at $319.00, you can save $100.00 if you buy from Bing Lee Electrics.
7. SYDNEY HARBOUR CRUISE: A luxury cruise on the world’s finest Harbour will be a memorable experience for you both. australiancruisegroup.com.au advises that limited bookings are still being taken for their Valentine’s Day Showboat Dinner Cruise and also their Valentine’s Day Clearview Glass Boat Dinner Cruise and both seem very reasonable priced at $150 and $175 respectively.
8. ROSES YOU CAN EAT: Edible Blooms….what a great name for a company! And for just $219.00 the two of you can do just that! Eat a ‘tonne of roses’ (well, it’s not really a tonne but it sure looks like it, with a spectacular arrangement of 100 gold heart-shaped chocolates in the form of a bouquet of roses. edibleblooms.com.au