Valentine's Day Gift Ideas for Your Husband

Husbands are hard to shop for on Valentine's Day. Most say they do not need anything, and most of the gift aisle is pink. The best Valentine's gift for your husband makes him feel chosen, not just remembered. These 12 ideas cover the romantic, the funny and the practical. Our top pick is a song about the man you married, because very few men have ever had anything written about them.

Listen to a Songbond song first

This one was made for someone else. Yours would carry his name and your stories.

12 Valentine's Day gift ideas for your husband

1. A song about the man you married ($39.90). You share how he proposed, the way he makes coffee and what he says when he walks in the door, and Songbond turns it into an original song. It is the rare gift that makes a quiet man go quiet in a different way.
2. Fourteen notes, one a day until the 14th. Start on February 1 and hide one note a day: in his lunch, his truck, his coat pocket, his shaving kit. By Valentine's Day he is checking every pocket. Free.
3. His mother's recipe, cooked by you. Call his mom or his sister for the dish he grew up on, and make it for Valentine's dinner. If the recipe is lost, get as close as you can and tell him you tried.
4. A leather tray for his keys and watch. Somewhere to empty his pockets at the end of the day, with your initials stamped in the corner. $30 to $80.
5. A deep-tissue massage for his back. Book it for him alone, on a weekend morning. $80 to $150.
6. A drive-in movie or a late show. Something you did when you were dating and stopped doing once life got busy. $20 to $40.
7. Drinks at the bar where you met. Or the restaurant, or the friend's party venue. Order what you ordered that night and tell the story again.
8. A cast-iron skillet with your initials. For the husband who makes breakfast on Sundays. Looked after properly, it will outlast you both. $40 to $100.
9. The candy he loved as a boy. Retro candy shops sell the brands from every decade. A box of his childhood favorites says you listen to his stories. $15 to $30.
10. A cologne you pick out together. Make an afternoon of it: go to a counter, try a few and let him choose with you. $60 to $120.
11. A picnic on the living room floor. A blanket, candles, his favorite food and no phones. It feels like a date without anyone putting on a nice shirt.
12. Socks with your face on them. A joke gift he will wear more than you expect. Put it in the same bag as something serious. $15 to $25.

How to choose for your husband

Think about how he shows love. A husband who fixes things and cooks often feels most loved when you do something for him. A husband who is quietly sentimental wants words. A husband who loves a laugh wants to be surprised.

• If he is a doer: his mother's recipe, the skillet or the leather tray.
• If he is quietly sentimental: the fourteen notes, drinks where you met or the song.
• If he loves a laugh: the socks, the childhood candy or the drive-in.

Play it in the car

A lot of men feel awkward opening a sentimental gift at a restaurant table with people watching. If your gift has words in it, a letter or a song, give it where he can react in private. The car works well. So does the kitchen early in the morning, before anyone else is up. Put the song on the speakers on the way to dinner and say nothing. Let him listen to the end without looking at him. Save the funny gift for the table later, when you both need a laugh.

Make a Valentine's song for him

Create a Valentine's Day song for your husband from your stories together. It is ready within 24 hours, and express delivery gets it to you in about an hour if Valentine's Day is already here.

Also in the Journal: Valentine's Day song ideas and an anniversary song for your husband.