Valentine’s Day is a challenge at the best of times, but coming up to your first in a new relationship is a whole new level of stressful. Are you far enough along to do something big? Will that just freak your partner out and send them running for the hills? Will the success or failure of this one day in the middle of February dictate how the rest of your relationship goes? Before your brain starts to spiral off into panic mode, we’ve got a few romantic tips to help you out, including a few gift ideas that are the right level of thoughtful without being overwhelming.

A sign of friendship

Sometimes, grand gestures aren’t necessary. That’s particularly true in the early days of a relationship. However, something simple but thoughtful can be arguably even more impactful than a million roses or expensive jewellery. Something like a friendship bracelet, for example. At the end of the day, a relationship is just a really good friendship.

A (fun) romantic dinner

It doesn’t matter how old your relationship is, a nice meal shared together is always going to hit the right note. You do need to be a little careful in picking the restaurant, however. If you go for the very finest Phuket romantic restaurant on a first Valentine, you might find yourself down one partner and up one very expensive bill. Try to go for something fun instead of turning the romance up to 11.

Function over form

You know what shows how much you care about another person? Listening to their problems and acting to reduce them. If you know that your partner likes their morning coffee, get them a good-quality travel mug. If they like to cook, get them a new recipe book or some good cookware. If they enjoy listening to music, get them a great pair of headphones. A functional gift isn’t quite so overtly romantic, but still shows how much they are in your thoughts.

Something that lasts

One of the common complaints about Valentine’s Day is that it’s just one of 365 days, with no particularly special reason why it should be more romantic than any other. For this reason, there are plenty of people who shun the day entirely for that reason. One way to avoid this concern, particularly if you’re in a new relationship and don’t really know how your partner thinks about it, is to get a gift that lasts. There are plenty of things you can now get as a subscription, from streaming services like Netflix to food and drink clubs to houseplants.