Come On, Baby, Light My Fire

Valentine's Day is right around the corner.

And, Shorewood's got everything you need to make someone's day brighter — even your own.

Small, simple, nice things go a long way.

A lot of times, as adults, we get grandiose notions and then debilitating fear about Valentine's Day. We see dollar signs, high maintenance reservations and outfits.

This year, my advice is to KISS. Keep it simple, sweetheart.

My daughter's K4 teacher mentioned Tuesday the children, age 4-5, will be making valentines and secretly mailing them to their buddies in first grade.

"Who doesn't love getting something nice in the mail," Katie Pond at Atwater Elementary asked. "I do!"

And she's right.

With just a few days before the actual day, you can still mail a card to almost anyone in the Midwest. There are delightful cards for sale all over the village, such as unique gift-type cards at the , 2107 E. Capitol Dr., and , 4415 N. Oakland Ave. (call for hours). Add a photo of yourself holding a note to the person — upload online and print at Walgreens, 4081 N. Oakland Ave., in about an hour. Or, make a date of getting passport pictures taken there and apply for your passports at the post office, as a way to warm up to a trip in the future.

There are also perfect, reasonable, gifts at many stores in Shorewood. at 1918 E. Capitol Dr., for instance, has new jewelry and beautiful scarves in stock.

Red matchsticks, mood rings ($3) (when I think of you, my mood goes from blue….to all the colors of the rainbow) and even a bright red kitchen timer (here's to making time for ourselves or everytime I'm with you, I hear bells) are at the Garden Room, where for every $20 you spend on Friday, Saturday and Tuesday, you get a bouquet of three roses for free.

If massage is more your style for yourself, a friend, or both, many offers for the day and even month are here.

• , 3510 N. Oakland Ave., is offering an hour massage for $45 in February.(962-0700)

• , 4433 N. Oakland Ave., massage is $10 off and the first chiropractic visit special includes adjustment and massage for $60.

• If you want to heat things up, Sandy's Soothing Hands Massage, 3510 N. Oakland Ave., has Valentine's specials for couples massage. A 90-minute massage for two people is $150 — a side-by-side experience just like a mini vacation — with chocolate-dipped-strawberries and sparkling cider. Individual massage is $50 for 60 minutes, and all treatment includes hot towels and some aromatherapy. Swedish and deep tissue. (414-467-4766)

Speaking of strawberries and chocolate,

• , 4425 N. Oakland Ave., offers fresh chocolates in Valentine's boxes

• , 2223 E. Capitol Dr., has dark chocolate from Ghana

• , 4027 N. Oakland Ave., sells Indulgence chocolate (until they come to Shorewood and have their own storefront, coming to the ).

For dinner, you have a nice selection of restaurants in Shorewood. Cozy up in a booth at Benji's Deli and split a corned beef sandwich and enjoy a bowl of Matzoh ball soup. For lunch on the run, you can catch the soup truck spice up your day with spicy hot el Rey chips and fresh tortilla soup. Check out Kathy Papineau's MKE Localicious on Facebook to catch the truck location, or order a meal delivered for dinner.  Also, for an intimate dinner with live music, Shorewood's Thirst and Vine is offering a few special entrees and wine specials, and many will offer specials on the day.

• Have you own suggestion for perfect Valentine's Day dinner spot? Weigh in on for a chance to win $50 for a dinner on Patch.

If you need some flowers, a nice thing is to set them up, put them on the table with a card, and set the table. Just sayin'.

• Sendik's, where you can grab your chocolate and strawberries as well.

• , 4145 N. Oakland Ave., where you could surprise someone with a giant bouquet of giant heartshaped mylar balloon.

• Grande Flowers 1433 E. Capitol Dr.: The florist in Shorewood that offers fair prices on yellow roses for the big day, a large selection of blooming plants, green plants, local candy and balloons. They also this year offer Jade succulent gardens with plants and gravel, in a glass container.

• Garden Room (see above), with the three-rose bouquet.

Whatever you do this Valentine's Day, remember it is those special, thoughtful things that people remember forever.

What will you do to celebrate you and others?