Search Results for: blog the history of valentines day

St. Valentine’s Day

Today was a day my husband and I routinely ignore on an annual basis as something designed by marketers to make money selling situationally overpriced flowers and unnecessary calories to unsuspecting and uncreative individuals wishing to mimic the idea of love in a physical form. We ignore it to save money, to save time, and to save sanity. Often we would exchange a handwritten letter to one another as an indication that today is a day when people remember their love and commit to strengthen it anew in the face of the day to day struggles of any relationship. Today … Continue reading →

Holidays, Travel, and Family Expectations

Holidays can be tricky for anyone, in any family situation. Married couples without kids, however, face a special conundrum: with whom to spend the day(s)? Again, this can be tough for anyone, but childless marrieds face a particular pressure: you don’t have kids, so it falls to you to drive sometimes long distances to attend the family get-together. Of course that returns us to the initial question: with whose family do we spend the holidays? We pick one side of the family for Thanksgiving and the other for Easter, because Jon’s parents and my parents live far enough away from … Continue reading →

My Family’s Link to the History of Valentine’s Day Cards

Sometimes, the place that your family calls home can have some fun facts associated with it that add interest to your family history. This is one of the reasons that I like family history books – they add depth to the information that is found in family trees. For my family, one of the fun facts about the city where my mother and father were raised as well as the town that they live in (and where I was raised) has to do with Valentine’s Day. Both my mother and my father were raised in Worcester, Massachusetts. My mother was … Continue reading →

My Unconventional Valentine’s History

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, but as you might be able to guess, Jon and I don’t really do anything for Valentine’s Day. The holiday does mean one thing: candy hearts. The weeks leading up to Valentine’s Day are the only time of the year I can find them. Their close companion Necco Wafers just aren’t the same. So I suppose one might say Jon gets me a Valentine’s Day present, because he usually buys me candy hearts. However, even this practice has two exceptions that probably exclude it as a Valentine’s celebration. First: Jon usually brings home … Continue reading →

How Do You Feel about Valentine’s Day?

Happy Valentine’s Day!! That’s right today is the big day. Many people have anticipated this day for several weeks now. Others have greatly dreaded it. And some feel very indifferent about it. Some cannot wait until it passes while others simply ignore it altogether. Many conversations, commercials, and businesses have lately been directed toward Valentine’s Day. Yesterday, I overheard a few ladies talking about how they do not celebrate Valentine’s Day. They commented on how they feel that the holiday is silly and it is a waste to spend the money on roses and candy and balloons. The ladies I … Continue reading →

Valentine’s Day Proposalversaries: Facts and Figures

Yes, today is Valentine’s Day, but if you happened to get proposed to on Valentine’s Day then it’s also your Proposalversary. I was curious about how many couple’s get engaged on Valentine’s Day so I tried to find some statistics. I was kind of surprised by what I learned. For one thing, who knew the U.S. Census Bureau kept (sort of) certain statistics of the nature I was looking for? For another, there were at least two other days I hadn’t even considered that were quite popular proposal days. I listed these and all my other revelations below. Did You … Continue reading →

Ideas for Celebrating Valentine’s Day Tomorrow

When I was in school, I most looked forward to the Valentine’s Day party. We got to make bags, pass out Valentines to our friends and there was always lots of candy. At least for me, there was more candy at Valentines Day than at Halloween. Or at least that’s how I remember it. Not wanting to spoil some of the fun of Valentine’s Day, here are a few ideas to celebrate! Making Valentines Yep. My kids get all gluey, and glittery and make Valentines. But for who you might ask? They make for each other and for some elderly … Continue reading →

Taking Emergency Valentine’s Day Action

Eeeek! Turns out Wayne’s going to be home for Valentine’s Day after all. I wasn’t prepared for that. He was supposed to be out of town working a deal until Friday. What’s a wife to do with virtually no time to plan anything? Well, to be honest, I’m not totally unprepared. You remember all those personalized Valentine gift articles I wrote? The ones about gifts to delight your Valentine, inspire intimacy, display around your home, and hang on your walls? After I wrote them, I went shopping. That’s right. Wayne’s getting A Valentine Message in a Bottle, a L-O-V-E floral … Continue reading →

Travel Deals Commemorating Black History Month

Besides Valentine’s Day, Chinese New Year, and Groundhog’s Day, the month of February is also a time to celebrate the accomplishments on African Americans. February is Black History Month and the occasion is not being lost on B&Bs around the world. Dozens of quaint lodgings are offering deep discounts to commemorate the annual celebration that has existed since 1926. Take a look: MASSACHUSETTS The Lathrop House located in Springfield, Massachusetts’ historic Forest Park district is a refurbished 1899 Victorian home, which features a stunning rose garden, and a handful of rooms decorated in florals. The well-known B&B is situated about … Continue reading →

The History of Valentine’s Day

Today is the day when we all rush out to get last minute cards, flowers, and candy. You won’t be able to get down the card aisle at WalMart, but hopefully the flowers you find won’t be too picked over. I went to WalMart yesterday and the workers were carrying out flowers and candy constantly to refresh the supply. But, do you know the history of Valentine’s Day? Valentine’s Day is named in honor of St. Valentine. The holiday has roots in both Roman and Christian traditions, but the exact origin is unknown although there are a couple of theories. … Continue reading →