What was the worst Valentine’s Day gift you’ve ever received?

You may have just embarked on a new relationship or perhaps you are approaching a dating milestone – either way, Valentine’s Day can reveal a lot about the nature and state of a partnership. Whether or not you agree, the over analyzation of gift-giving is at its peak on this day. Many of you will feel the pressure to make some kind of romantic gesture that sums up your feelings completely and embodies the essence of your union.

However precious the gift of love may be, it doesn’t always translate in the exchanging of goods. We asked around the ShareASale office to hear personal stories of gift-giving gone awry and here are some of our favorites: 

1. Abby, Blogger Liaison

Gift: Deli meat in a gift-wrapped cooler… and scented pine cones. 

Ahh, sweet scent of the pines. This gift-giver opted for salty over sweet when he presented Abby with a selection of deli meats.  The meats were carefully packaged and placed inside a cooler which he had wrapped in decorative paper (you can’t fault the guy for lack of effort). We’re unsure as to whether the pine cones were included to mask the scent of meat, but no matter how you slice it, this gift will forever rank high in the “most absurd” category.

2. Kristen, Merchant Development

Gift: Gas Station Flower Bouquet.  

Flowers are a breathtaking example of nature’s bounty and a very safe Valentine’s Day choice, but not all bouquets are created equal. A few years ago, Kristen was in the early stages of a courtship and thrilled to receive flowers from her new beau. Upon opening the heart-printed cellophane, Kristen was overwhelmed – not by the sheer beauty of the bouquet – but by the colony of red ants that had taken up residence. The ants turned out to be quite clingy and persistent: first, occupying her home and then moving on to her outdoor garbage cans. While this gift may have left a lasting trail, the relationship, sadly, did not.  

3. Erica, Events Manager

Gift: Wax Lips, the Not-Really-Candy Candy

Nothing says “I’m into you” quite like a heap of molded, flavored (but inedible) wax. The giver of these lips probably didn’t realize the mixed signals he was sending: a treat that appears to be sweet on the outside turns out to be devoid of sustenance and is typically discarded after a single use. Erica was wise to kiss this crush goodbye.  

Use these resources to avoid a Valentine’s Day mishap of your own!