You know you’re in love when you can’t fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams.

— Dr. Seuss

Valentine’s Day is quickly approaching, and the not-so-poetic truth is this is one of our most wasteful holidays. Each year, nearly a billion valentines are sent globally, making the day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year behind Christmas. In total, more than 36 million heart-shaped boxes of chocolate are sold and 110 million roses are sold and delivered within a three-day time period. This year, give a recycled gift that will delight your sweetie and be kinder to our planet. And, if you need an idea for the perfect gift, here is a real charmer: a “bookbox” from Secret Storage Books. A bookbox is a real book that has been hollowed out to form a secret storage compartment inside. Secret Storage Books recycled unwanted books to make these unique boxes. You could use the bookbox itself as a fabulous gift. Find a perfect title for your hard-to-buy-for Valentine — it is eco-friendly and one-of-a-kind. Or, you can use a bookbox as the wrapping for a gift. Wrap up some fair trade chocolate in a book about sweets, put theater tickets in a hollowed-out Shakespeare book or drop sporting event tickets in a sports-themed book. The possibilities are endless. Part of the company’s mission statement is to “create new value from unwanted books and leave our environment in better shape than we found it.” Books are loved at Secret Storage Books, and company founder Diane Mellen says, “I smile every day I ship a book box off as a gift, knowing I have re-purposed an unloved item and made it into an object of delight.” This is a company you can feel good about supporting, and a gift you can feel wonderful about giving this Valentine’s Day. For more information, or to purchase a Secret Storage Book, visit secretstoragebooks.com.

Oh, if it be to choose and call thee mine, love, thou art every day my Valentine!

— Thomas Hood