26 sweet Valentine’s Day gifts (that aren’t chocolates or roses)

From Astronaut Food to a Wireless Charging Pad and everything in-between, we challenged ourselves to find a cool Valentine's Day gift idea for every single letter of the alphabet this year. And while we know that true love deserves more than an over-hyped day of manufactured romance, it's still nice to surprise loved ones with a little somethin' somethin' on February 14th.

So this year ditch the clichés, don't even THINK about buying red roses and get ready to be schooled in the ABC of gift-giving this Valentine's Day.

Give the expression 'I love you to the moon and back' a whole new meaning with this 'astronaut' freeze-dried ice cream. Just like the universe, we think this is *infinitely* better than regular Valentine's Day chocolate, especially if the recipient loves all things space.

Our research shows that most Australians prefer a romantic dinner for Valentine's Day over any sort of material good so why not make this year's extra interesting?

Is your loved one a keen cyclist? This bike phone holder is a practical and thoughtful gift that's easy to assemble and lets your recipient stay mobile when out on a ride; whether they're navigating or filming the great open road.

Check out the weather the old-fashioned way with a cloud weather station. And with a gorgeous modern design and wooden base, it makes a a really nice, modern-looking home decor piece as well as a practical tool for predicting what the weather will be like.

What could be more romantic than gifting someone all the feel-good fuzzies that Disney movies offer? A Disney Plus subscription gives your recipient access to not only all those great classic Disney flicks, but also the Marvel universe, National Geographic documentaries and a whole bunch of 20th Century Fox content, like The Simpsons.

Now here's a great gift that's also very useful in today's tech-heavy world. There's very few people who wouldn't find use for this tech emergency kit - with a phone charger for both micro USB and lightning ports. Keep your phone connected, charged and clean, baby!

Does your other half have a skincare routine with more steps than a Jane Fonda aerobics video? Then this is the perfect present to store their many lotions, potions and serums. Plus, there's just something cute about tiny versions of large objects and this mini fridge is no exception.

While this is technically designed for children who might have trouble sleeping, we reckon there might be a few adults who wouldn't mind stars bouncing around the room while relaxing nature sounds play. The galaxy star projector is supposed to aid sleep, which honestly sounds perfect for all ages. Choose from ocean, summer nights, birds or falling rain. Ahhhh, how relaxing... and potentially romantic.

Air fryers seem to be the new Thermomix - with good reason. This 7.1L digital air fryer has 7 pre-set cooking programs, easy-to-use touch controls and is perfect for anyone who loves cooking. By all accounts it seems to be mostly used for slightly healthier versions of our favourited deep fried foods, and if hot chips smothered in tomato sauce isn't romantic I don't know what is.

If you're thinking about gifting your loved one a phone upgrade this Valentine's Day and want the shiniest and most impressive, you can't really go past the iPhone 14.

With Cinematic Mode, bigger battery and a range of colours, iPhone 14 puts the 'i' in Valentine's Day. And if you need a plan to go with it, check out the below:

This JBL Flip Bluetooth Speaker makes a really versatile gift. Do they love music? Give 'em this speaker. Do they like camping? Enjoy your favourite tunes while getting in tune with nature. Do they love portability? Okay... you get the point. But with a 10 hour battery life and less than $100, it's a nifty little gift.

Does your Valentine have a special furry feline in their life? Then you can't go past this absolutely adorable cat toy. It's available in two colours: white and red, and is a great way to get shy kitties on their feet.

At $299, this is no small investment, but if you're looking to treat a loved one who loves gaming, then the Logitech G733 gaming headset could be just the ticket. They claim to have 29 hours of battery life and 20 metres of wireless freedom. Game on.

Picture this: it's Valentine's Day, candles are flickering in the bedroom, there's fresh new sheets on the bed, a bottle of bubbles is whipped out of the fridge and your favourite rom-com is playing on your bedroom wall. This could be your Valentine's reality with this EKO mini LCD projector. Set up a movie theatre in any room of the house. Ah, how romantic.

If you're looking for an unusual gift that's going to brighten up their day, then check out these fun Nanoleaf Shapes. 

They're smart panel lights that are easy to set up and add a Year 6 Disco vibe to any room - in the best possible way. Hey Siri, play 'Bye Bye Bye' by *NSYNC, thanks.

Okay, we'll admit it. This one is a little less romantic and a little more practical but who says Valentine's Day can't be both? Give your lover the gift of good oral health with an Oral B Pro 100 toothbrush to help keep those pearly whites shining.

The Google Pixel earbuds are a great quality entry level earbud that do what they say on the box. With a cute case, Bass Boost and a battery life of five hours, they're a good set of earbuds that don't cost the earth.

This palm-held, battery operated Quatro mini massager has all the hallmarks of a romantic gift to help your loved one unwind and help remove any knots or tension. And at just $10, it's a bargain too.

Remember Donkey Kong? The Legend of Zelda? Pokémon Red? We do, and if your Valentine's Day recipient does too, then consider gifting them a whole bunch of nostalgia via a retro Game Boy! First released in 1989 in Japan, the Gameboy became wildly popular pretty much everywhere. These days it's harder to get your hands on one, but the Anyando Handheld Game Console gets pretty close and comes with 500 built-in games.

Does your loved on watch The Voice like their life depends on it? Knows every word to every song? Constantly suggesting a cheeky trip to karaoke in the wee hours? Then they need this in their life... smartphone karaoke. It just plugs into a smartphone and hey presto, you can sing along to your favourite tunes.

Why get regular sunglasses when you could treat your Valentine to *singing* sunglasses? Okay, technically, they're sunglasses with a speaker in the arm, so you can listen to music and make calls all through your sunnies. They're not cheap, and sure, a bit of a novelty, but are the perfect gift for the tech-loving person who has everything.

This is the perfect pressie for anyone who loves a warm drink (so... everyone?). This little coaster plugs into your laptop and keeps your drink warm. Also ideal for anyone who makes a cup of tea and forgets about it and ends up with a lukewarm drink (*raises hand*).

This handy little tripod and selfie light combo is compatible with most smartphones and ideal for streamers, vloggers or anyone who enjoys making Insta reels or TikTok videos. It just needs two AAA batteries, and then you're good to go.

Power three devices at once with this handy Orotec wireless charging pad. Charge your phone, smart watch and earbuds all at the same time in the same place. Nifty!

As drones become more mainstream, so too do they become more affordable. This Zero X Swift drone is designed for beginners, with an 8 minute flight time and the ability to capture the footage in High Definition.

Now here's a gift idea that's out of the box. Yoghurt has loads of health benefits and is tasty to boot, so if there's room in the kitchen for gadget and you and your loved one enjoy a dollop of the good stuff for breakfast, then get rid of the middle man and start making it yourselves.

You better believe we found a 'Z' gift (although if you hate veggies, look away now). This zucchini spiralizer turns 'cchinis into veggie noodles and look, we know it's not romantic, it's not especially fun, and it's a stretch including it in a gift guide for Valentines Day, but on the plus side 'zoodles' is a really fun word to say.

Go on.

"Zoodle."