Instead of pushing through mall crowds for the perfect Valentine's gift, make a promise to do something fun with someone you love. It's easy, economical, and special for both the recipient and the gift-giver!

A few gift of time ideas:

A candlelit dinner
A massage
A month of taking out the garbage or doing the dishes
A canoe trip or hike
Babysitting or pet sitting
A monthly lunch date with an elderly relative or friend
Handwritten letters or cards sent to a long-distance friend or relative once a month for a year

I also like this idea, offered by a visitor to www.newdream.org

"This gift can be done for any occasion. I thought of about 500 memories and wrote them down in 1-10 word snippets and then typed them up so they formed the words "I LOVE YOU" I arranged about 75 snippets of memories to form the capital letter I and then continued arranging memories to form L,O,V,E, and Y,O,U. When all the letters were arranged I printed out the banner and framed it with spare pieces of wood from around the house."

Of course, if you really must buy something for someone you love, we suggest the following:

Coffee, chai, cocoa or java drops (chocolate covered coffee beans) from Dean's Beans (www.deansbeans.org)

Something special from Intimacies, a woman-owned sex toy shop in Northampton (28 Center Street, 413-582-0709)

A plant from the Hadley Garden Center (285 Russell Street, Hadley)

A gift basket from Atkins Farms (corner of Routes 116 and 47 in South Amherst or online at www.atkinsfarms.com)

Chocolate from Richardson's Candy Kitchen in South Deerfield (Routes 5 and 10 or online at www.richardsonscandy.com)

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