If you’re here, you’re likely aware of what Valentine’s day is, how it came to be and why chocolate sales skyrocket right around this time… wait, you don’t know why folks go nuts with chocolate?

Apparently, it was a business move by British chocolate manufacturing family scion Richard Cadbury in light of new techniques to craft chocolates.

Heck, the iconic heart-shaped candies—Sweethearts—were originally lozenges, a form of medicine for sore throat. Pharmacist and inventor Oliver Chase created the machine that could punch out these pills really quickly before he had another million-dollar idea and switched to using the machine’s potential to craft candy.

And since we’re on the topic of fun facts, ever wondered how the X became a sign for a kiss?

Well, back in the olden days, X used to represent Christianity, i.e. the cross. It was also used as a signoff on documents. And people would often kiss it as a sign of their oath. The gesture slowly but surely grew to include book, letter and paperwork certification, being referred to as being “sealed with a kiss”.

And humans aren’t the only ones celebrating Valentine’s Day… well, OK, they are, but they also drag pets into it, so, by analogy, it’s not just humans. Back in early 2020, it was estimated that folks have spent $1.7 billion on Valentine's gifts for their pets. Back then, it was estimated that a single individual could pay up to $196 for their Valentines. Yes, that includes animal companions.

And while pets are a popular choice for a Valentine, they are not the most popular ones. That title goes to teachers. And rightfully so.

In fact, they get so many gifts that they out-do the likes of children, wives and moms.

Besides candy, the next most gifted thing are flowers. Over 50 million roses are given on average on Valentine’s Day worldwide. Mother’s Day is the other celebration for flowers.

And it’s also important to pick the appropriate color for the flower, as each color has its own symbolism, like red is for passion and love, and white is for purity.

Besides love, other great historical things happened on Valentine’s Day. Things like Oregon and Arizona becoming states on February 14th of 1859 and 1912 respectively. Oh, and the dude who invented the telephone, Alexander Graham Bell, filed his patent for the invention on Valentine’s day too.

Now, if you’re still wondering what to do for Valentine’s day, the listicle you’re currently browsing should be a great source of inspiration.

But if you feel like you want to get them a meaningful and practical gift, focus on something that could involve both of you. If it’s an experience, go to a concert, dinner or take them somewhere that only you two know for a picnic.

If you do insist on getting a gift instead of an experience, again get something you both can enjoy. If a tandem bike might be a bit of an overkill (high risk, high reward?) then get a board game. Or get all of the subscriptions to streaming services for one month and binge everything. How’s that for a month-long Valentine’s Day?

So, do you have a Valentine yet? How will you be spending Valentine’s Day and, more importantly, what is your choice of chocolate? Share your takes and stories in the comments below!

And if you need more, Bored Panda suggests jumping into the rabbit hole that is ‘reading another article’.