Necklace from Abraham's Jewelers at 798 Elmwood

Roses from Mother Nature at 712 Elmwood

Lingerie from Kimberly's Intimate Apparel/Lover's Boutique at 3015 Genesee, Cheektowaga

Candy from Alethea's Chocolatier, at 8301 Main Street in Williamsville

Approximately one billion Valentine’s Day cards are sent annually, making the day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year, right behind Christmas. Sometimes, however, cards just will not suffice. A Wikipedia search for Valentine’s Day yields several histories of the holiday and the ways in which different countries traditionally have chosen to celebrate it. It is safe to say that nobody does Valentine’s Day quite like Americans: the shopping frenzy, the search for the perfect and non-offensive gift, the nerves and expectations—we take it to a whole new level. On the other hand, it’s hardly a holiday in Norway. In Japan and Korea, they’ve come up with reciprocal holidays in March and April for all the men who didn’t make an effort back in February to redeem themselves and get out of the doghouse. And the Chinese have their own counterpart, called “Night of Sevens,” on the seventh day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar, when girls write their names and numbers on mandarin oranges and throw them into a river, hoping somewhere down the line there is a cute little boy searching for the right peel that will lead him to his future lover. That sounds pretty nice. However, here at home, we prefer spa packages, flowers, lingerie, basically anything that makes someone feel pampered and special. And why shouldn’t we? After all, valentine comes from the Latin word valor, meaning worthy. So browse the following list for some ideas about how you might celebrate your own worth or that of another on Valentine’s Day. And maybe, just in case, throw an orange peel or two in the river while you’re at it.

Flowers

Maureen’s Wholesale Flowers

441 Ellicott Street

852-4600

Mother Nature

712 Elmwood Avenue

881-1575

American Beauties Florist

300 Kenmore Avenue

836-1000

Floral Explorations

1448 Hertel Avenue

838-4916

Perry’s Nursery & Garden Center

5203 Seneca Street, West Seneca

674-7752

Graser’s Florist

399 Amherst Street

875-0185

Botanical Gardens

2655 South Park Avenue

827-1584

SWEETS

Bella Mia Chocolate Shop

1096 Hertel Avenue

447-0922

Carriage Trade Pastries

1654 Elmwood Avenue

881-2326

Cold Stone Creamery

2674 Delaware Avenue

332-3424

Watson’s Chocolates

738 Elmwood Avenue

884-3216

Muscoreil’s Fine Desserts

2949 Elmwood Avenue

692-9081

Anderson’s

2235 Sheridan Drive

875-5952

Butterwood

5409 Main Street, Williamsville

204-0939

Choco Logo

143 Broadway Avenue

855-3500

Delish!

804 Elmwood Avenue

440-7692

Di Camillo Bakery

1700 Pine Avenue

La Dolce Vida

1472 Hertel Avenue

446-5690

Sweet Tooth

94 Elmwood Avenue

884-2520

Parkside Candy Company

3208 Main Street

833-7540

Fowler’s Chocolates

754 Elmwood Avenue

885-2183

Lingerie, ETC.

Quill’s

799 Elmwood Avenue

882-0681

Pleasure Principale

179 Elmwood Avenue

884-0183

Kimberley’s Intimate Apparel

3015 Genesee Street

891-5518

Sydney’s

2468 Niagara Falls Blvd, Tonawanda

695-1880

Manache (adult toys)

www.manache.com

Lotions and Potions

5543 Main Street, Williamsville

565-0610

JEWELERS

Abraham’s

798 Elmwood Avenue

873-0734

Barbara Oliver

5820 Main Street, Williamsville

204-1297

arah’s Vintage & Estate Jewelry

5459 Main Street, Williamsville

633-3738

Michael’s Antique Jewelry

5419 Main Street, Williamsville

633-2310

Ben Garelick

5001 Transit Road, Williamsville

631-1584

Sid Birzon

1376 Niagara Falls Blvd, Tonawanda

462-4022

Andrew’s Jewelers

7088 Transit Road, Williamsville

630-7091

Erik Jewelers

505 Filmore Avenue, Tonawanda

743-8007

Amy’s Gems

4545 Transit Road, Williamsville

631-1621

Aurum

487 Elmwood Avenue

886-1300

Wild Things

224 Lexington Avenue

882-3324

Scanlon Jewelers

5735 Main Street, Williamsville

633-6362

Crinzi & Gullo

Ellicott Square Building, Suite 100

854-0500

These restaurants run the gamut, from casual bistro fare to Cajun cuisine to the finest in French and Italian dining. Some things they all have in common? There’s music, wine and candlelight…

Amaryllis

675 Delaware Ave., 878-2741

Allen St. Hardware

245 Allen St, 882-8843

The Coda

350 Pennsylvania St., 362-0435

Fiddleheads

62 Allen St., 883-4166

Hutch’s

1375 Delaware Ave., 885-0074

La Tee Da

206 Allen St., 881-4500

Left Bank

511 Rhode Island St., 882-3509

Mother’s

33 Virginia Pl., 882-2989

Oliver’s

2095 Delaware Ave., 877-9662

Rue Franklin

341 Franklin St., 852-4416

Salvatore’s Italian Gardens

6615 Transit Rd., 635-9000

Shango

3260 Main St., 837-2326