About the GraphicCan’t you see Charlie Brown saying this? I could and thought of all of those Charlie Brown’s who don’t get a Valentine from their little red-hair girlfriend. I wanted to give them encouragement. Chocolate will help.
In my opinion, chocolate can fix everything.
Hearts are everywhere. 
Commercials are pushing chocolates, wine, fancy dinners, lingerie, and Hallmark cards. Florists are offering specials on roses. Love songs flow from the airways.
The commercialization bothers me a bit. The statistics stagger me.
The National Retail Federation anticipates $19.6 billion in Valentine expenditures this year, up from $18.2 billion last year. Those 25-34 will be the biggest spenders at an average of $202.76.This year’s survey broke expenditure averages down this way:
$88.98 on their significant other/spouse ($12.1 billion)
$25.29 on other family members such as children or parents ($3.5 billion)
$7.26 on children’s classmates/teachers ($991 million)
$7.19 on friends ($982 million)
$5.50 on pets ($751 million)
$4.79 on co-workers ($654 million)
Cards, flowers, jewelry, and fine dinners are all very romantic gestures to express love on this special day. If you have the funds and want to be extravagant, who am I to stop you? Go for it!
BUT, I’d like to suggest gifts don’t have to involve great expense. Nothing’s better than a homemade Valentine card or a home cooked meal served by candlelight.
Need ideas: Check the February editions of magazines or Pinterest. Most are loaded with DIY ideas for valentine cards and gifts.
More important, remember, it’s the day-to-day things that really show true love.
And, if you’re shy about expressing yourself with words or cards , you can always give a sign for I love you from Signing Savvy.
The origin of St. Valentine’s Day is found in the story of Saint Valentine, who, on the evening before his execution, wrote the first valentine, addressed to the daughter of his jailer, and signed the greeting “Your Valentine.”
That was in the 5th century. Since then Valentine’s Day has become a major commercial holiday.
The National Retail Federation anticipates over $18.2 billion will be spent on Valentine gifts this year. Of that amount, the Greeting Card Association expects $1 billion to go for greeting cards. Flowers will account for $2 billion and candy for $1.7 billion.
Cards, flowers, jewelry, and fine dinners are all very romantic gestures to express love for one’s sweetheart on this special day. But, gifts don’t have to involve great expense. Nothing’s better than a homemade Valentine card or a home cooked meal served by candlelight.
2018 will be a very unique Valentine’s Day because February 14 also happens to be the first day of Lent 2018, Ash Wednesday.
Interesting to note that Easter and April Fool’s Day will also fall on the same day this year. It’s the first time in 73 years.
Stop and think about it though, we shouldn’t be surprised.
We experienced a Blue Moon in January and unique things always happen once in a blue moon.
Vintage valentines can be very valuable, especially Victorian era pop-up honeycomb ones. Values vary and can range into the hundreds of dollars up to thousands. Check Kovels Valentine’s Day collectibles Pinterest board for examples and values.
I am a valentine card collector. If you think you might be interested in becoming a collector, here are some tips on how to start.
Hairstyles, clothes, cars, or trains pictured in older valentines will help date the card.
The simply answer is yes if you look for certain characteristics according to Terry Kovel of Kovel’s Antiques, Inc.
Learn more about valentine collecting from these sites: National Valentine Collectors Association or The Ephemera Society
Here are examples from my personal collection. I love displaying them each February.
I’m a romantic at heart and by profession. After all, I do write about romance. February is my favorite time of year.
Saint Valentine, for whom the day is named, was a real priest. He went to prison because he performed Christian marriages when the Roman Empire had outlawed the sacrament. While imprisoned, he cut hearts from parchment and gave them to the soldiers and persecuted Christians to “remind them of God’s love and to encourage them to remain faithful Christians.”
His deed began our custom of sharing cards and gifts of love on February 14.
Unlike Christmas where gifting can become expensive, sending a valentine card can a fun, simple, and inexpensive way to say I love you or I’m thinking about you. You can use your imagination to create cute, adorable, beautiful, special, romantic, charming, or even corny homemade cards.
As we approach this Valentine’s Day, let’s not forget the men and women who serve our country.
The web is loaded with Valentines for Vets classroom projects ideas. I’m not a teacher, but that won’t stop me from sending cards to our local veteran’s center.
Won’t you join me?
Valentines of all shapes, sizes, and colors are welcome. I find greeting-card size valentines are easiest to package and distribute.
Just keep these tips in mind as you create your cards:
You can go through national organization websites or simply your drop cards off at a local veteran’s facility. Click here to find a veterans’ center near you.
Let’s share valentine love with a veteran this year.
the greatest refreshment in life. ~Pablo Picasso
a canvas furnished by Nature and embroidered by imagination. ~Voltaire
a game that two can play and both win. ~Eva Gabor
an irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired. ~Robert Frost
a single soul inhabiting two bodies. ~Aristotle
I’ll end this month of love quotes with the reprise from “You are Sixteen” from Oscar Hammerstein, Sound of Music, which says it all.
A bell is no bell ’til you ring it,
A song is no song ’til you sing it,
And love in your heart
Wasn’t put there to stay –
Love isn’t love
‘Til you give it away.
Next Sunday will be Valentine’s Day.
You may feel the greeting card companies, jewelers, and florist have forced the holiday upon us. The day has certainly been commercialized. Consumers are predicted to spend close to nineteen billion dollars this year.
As a romance writer, I prefer to believe we celebrate the day because we value what a day emphasizing love and romance can do for relationships. Having such a special day focused on love and loved ones provides the opportunity to:
~ ignite new relationships with romantic gestures
~renew an old love gone stale with a dose of romance
Many of us use valentines to express our feelings. That’s why I say, valentines are the mirrors of romance.
Supposedly, Saint Valentine began the valentine practice when he cut hearts from parchment, giving them to the soldiers and persecuted Christians to “remind them of God’s love and to encourage them to remain faithful Christians.” He’s the saint that defied Emperor Claudius’ edict forbidding priests to marry couples and ended up in prison. A prison guard’s daughter formed a friendship with Valentine and on the day he was martyred he left her a note signed, “Love from your Valentine.”
Mass-produced valentines begin appearing in the 1840s. Esther A. Howland is considered the Mother of Valentines in America. Inspired by an English Valentine she received, she created elaborate cards from scraps of real lace, ribbons, and colorful pictures.
You’ll find a large collection of her valentines in The American Antiquarian Society in Worcester.
Postcards with romantic scenes and messages were also popular in the nineteenth century. Unfortunately, the tradition of sending Valentine postcards died as the use of postcards for personal correspondence faded.
These are samples from my collection of vintage holiday postcards. 
A modern day variation of postcards is found in the cute valentines schoolchildren share on Valentines’ Day.
In my opinion, of all the commercial choices of valentines, the homemade ones are the most special.
YOUR TURN: Will send a valentine to your sweetheart this year?
In two days, on February 14, many people will be exchanging cards, candy, gifts or flowers with their special “valentine.”
It’s the day of romance named for a Christian martyr St. Valentine and dates back to the 5th century.
According to the embellished version of the origins, Saint Valentine, on the evening before his execution, wrote the first “valentine”, addressed to the daughter of his jailer, and signed the greeting “Your Valentine.”
If you’re shy about expressing yourself with words or cards, try these “signs” from Signing Savvy, the online ASL Dictionary.
Moi, I’m not shy about romance or telling the ones I love how much I love them on this special day. After all, I do write love stories.
As a romance writer, I love February 14th. St. Valentine’s Day is THE romance day of the year. To me, valentines are the mirror of romance.
According to legend, Saint Valentine was a real priest who lived in 270 A.D. He provided Christians with sacraments outlawed by the Roman Empire such as marriage.
Saint Valentine is also said to have cut hearts from parchment, giving them to the soldiers and persecuted Christians to “remind them of God’s love and to encourage them to remain faithful Christians.”
And thus began our custom of giving cards and reminders to loved ones on February 14th. Today, the Greeting Card Association estimates one billion Valentine’s Day cards are sent each year.
The first mass-produced valentines appeared in the 1840s. Esther A. Howland, known as the “Mother of the Valentine,” used “scrap” to make elaborate creations with real lace, ribbons, and colorful pictures. The American Antiquarian Society in Worcester holds a large collection of her valentines.
If you read my blog often, you might remember that I have an ephemera holiday postcard collection. I shared some of my Thanksgiving cards. Here are my favorite Valentines. While not as elaborate as Ms. Howland’s, I love the way these cards speak of romance.
Valentines tell others of our love. Homemade valentines are extra special. I found this wonderful site, www.neoformix.com where you can create your own heart-shaped tokens of love.
If you’d like to create a heart-shaped design with special words, click on the heart to go to the site. You have time to come up with the perfect token of your love.
YOUR TURN: How will you show someone you love them today?
