Keeping the romance alive

Or at least keeping it undead.

Basically this will be a guide for the unromantic b/c romantic people don't have these issues. Unless they're dating unromantics.

Traditionally giving gifts is considered a romantic gesture. Anthopologically speaking, males gave females gifts to prove that they'd be excellent providers. They've seen male chimps giving meat to female chimps in exchange for sex. The oldest profession indeed!

Oh, but in modern humans, it's not so much giving stuff to women b/c I've heard of plenty of women getting mad over practical things like toasters but now men must prove the quality of their providership by "burning" their resources on what are really "useless" gifts such as chocolates, stuffed animals, flowers, and jewelry. Things that generally serve no purpose other than to be expensive and hold high cultural value but little intrinsic value.

These traditional gifts are generally well received by women but not all women. It is important to know what kind of woman you are dating. There are some women who HATE HATE HATE cut flowers b/c they're just going to die and you have to water them. Their philosophy is gee, thanks for getting me a present that will give me more work to do. I personally am not a huge fan of chocolate. Some girls crave chocolate, I am not one of them. It's your job to discover what she does and does not like b/c if you get her something she doesn't like, you will gain no reputation points.

Now to think outside of the box is a bit better. While some women may want the chocolates, diamonds, flowers route, it takes more thought to come up with a gift that is individually tailored. If your girl is a geek, think of what she likes. Horror fan? Zombie themed gifts--this year I've seen zombie mugs, shirts, books, and cross-stitching. Does she play video games? Look for video game accessories or old classics she might have missed. Is she a dice-chucking gamer? More dice are always appreciated or maybe a miniature for her latest campaign. These things are probably less expensive yet will probably be more meaningful since it means that you have actually learned what she likes and doesn't like.

Another way to show you care is to do things for her. Recent studies say that women feel more romantic towards their partners when they do domestic stuff around the house, like laundry, cooking or washing dishes. This kinda makes sense since now women often work outside of the home and are generating their own income so money isn't necessarily as tight as things like time. With less time to do household chores, helping around the house allows her more time to do things she would really want to do, like sleep, or read, or play WoW.

Lastly, you can help keep the romance alive by planning fun things, they don't have to be expensive, just things for the both of you to do that you enjoy. Getting out of your daily routine will help that.

Basically it boils down to, think about your partner and what they might need right now, not a toaster but like emotional support ways and such.