Most importantly, please pop over to the girls’ blog. Even if you normally don’t read their blog, there’s a lot of important stuff in the post Gretchen composed for today.
Photo courtesy of someone else and Google...
Here’s the thing… I’m not a fan of this … holiday. It started in kindergarten, when my mother wouldn’t buy a second pack of cards even after I exhausted all of the … quite neutral options in the first pack. I couldn’t bring myself to give kids I didn’t like cards that said I loved them, or that they were sweet when they were bullies… But the rule was that we had to give a card to EVERY kid in the class, so…
I sometimes call this a Hallmark holiday, and maybe Hallmark has made the most of it, but Valentine’s Day’s history is older than the hills, almost literally. Still, it’s polarizing. Fast-foward to junior high when some tweens were getting the big tissue paper flowers sold by the French Club in quantities they could hardly carry, while others got none. I’ve never forgotten what it felt like to watch the haves and the have nots, the have lots and the have one yellow one from my best friends avoid eye contact with each other. Only the truly self-absorbed were happy.
Roses are red... and so is our fire hydrant
Last year, I sent out a few valentines because we were still reeling from Sissy’s glaucoma, eye removal and the constant vigilance that is now the norm in our home. Please don’t feel neglected; I didn’t have time to even think about making them this year. I do appreciate the cards we get by mail, Ravelry, etc. though, so thank you. We do lurvers you lots, even if it didn’t get said in a card this year.
How do you feel about Valentine’s Day?
Chan Knits 
I’m pretty ambivilant. I think the thought is nice – but honestly shouldn’t your spouse know you love them every day? And your kids? Maybe all your girlfriends don’t know it daily, but they know when it’s important, right?
Love the card – so is the fire hydrant! Happy Valentine’s day! Hope you have a good one. g
I love your photo card; it’s great 🙂
I really enjoy making something (card or other paper craft, fun candy related gift…), but other than than, I don’t make too big of a deal about the day.
Enjoy your day!
I too remember the Valentine cards in grade school and giving to all, and the flowers even in high school. I’m surprised they even allow that now but I have heard from coworkers that they do and one 15 year old girl didn’t want to go to school today because she knew she would not receive a flower or singing telegram by the fine arts students. We have never made a big deal out of the holiday. I do love cards though and yours is perfect
I remember making Valentines in elementary school, and handing them out, but it was all very platonic and fair. I do remember a twinge of pain in junior high when all the popular girls were showered with gifts and I had none. Sure, it was just a paper flower, but still. But that’s when I started to realize that these girls would always have ‘things’, more than they would have what really mattered.
The first roses I ever received were from my Grandmother, on my debut in ‘The Christmas Carol’ at Wayside Theater in high school. The first time I received flowers romantically …. my ex-fiance, to apologize for going to jail and ruining my chance of getting a visa.
So, while I’m not bitter, because I am lucky to have a man in my life who loves me, and showers me with yarn on major gift giving holidays, I still don’t go for the whole Valentine’s Day set-up.
I’ve never had a problem with Valentine’s Day yet I am ambivalent to say the least! It is kind of a NON holiday to me and I’ve never been insulted when DH didn’t bring me a gift. That being said, I did receive lovely roses from him last night. That is very nice but it honestly meant more to me when he said “I love you” as he drifted off to sleep!! If he had not brought the roses I would still be over the moon in love with him today.
Never been a big fan of Valentines Day, for all the reasons already mentioned. Hubs and I have an agreement to just skip it, most years. This year, I’m using it as an excuse to have some friends over to view Courageous with us. What could be better?
Mostly good! I did get a black valentine in Kindergarten from a boy down the block…..I was recovering from lazy eye surgery and was shocked that he sent me a black Valentine. Odds are the construction paper bin had some black in it and that was all there was to it. Nicky Cunningham if you must know….
I’ve forgiven him.
FIreman and I are indulging in a super chocolate cake . I”m taking heartbroken Al out tonight for a treat.
I could love or leave the holiday… it can be fun, but it can also be the stereotypical “Hallmark holiday” with overpriced flowers, long waits to eat and $10 cards. I had fun making the kids card this year… but we will be spending an evening at home and heading out for a little dinner on the weekend.
I never cared much for the “holiday”, but then I wasn’t the popular girl in the class. I was the brain and they don’t get valentines from the cute boys. I think it’s OK if it stays between couples. I do like letting the dogs send them to their dog friends, though. Wonder what that means?
well about the only I thing I love about VD is doing for everyone else. It just makes me smile!
What Sue said. And what you said.
I have had years when I hate Valentine’s Day but luckily for the past several years it’s been great because of Rene. He always remembers. He’s working today so we celebrated “for real” on Saturday with a real nice dinner out. Last night he bought pizza for our dinner and surprised me with a cupcake…red velvet because that is a Valentine flavor whereas something like carrot cake is not. That’s what he said.
I do like the Valentines on Ravelry.
Hope you are having a good day!
LOVE LOVE LOVE Valentine’s Day. Brings back the best memory of elementary school, and making the huge envelope out of construction paper, with tissue paper flowers to hang on the front of my desk, and then going around the room and passing out our Valentine’s. There were always cupcakes and punch, and it was THE BEST day ever. Loved it.
As an adult, i make all my friends celebrate with me, and we go out somewhere fancy for dinner, even if the husbands are deployed. Tonite, five of us are going out, four of our hubbies are deployed, and one is a non-celebrator, but his wife is joining us. I don’t care how you feel about the holiday…if you live near me, you WILL celebrate with me. hee hee!!!
You sound a lot like me. I enjoyed reading your comment. Happy Valentine’s Day to you and your family!
Glad Jessica enjoys the holiday, but I hated it throughout school. Read my post today, and see what must have been the biggest surprise I’ve had in years. And that was only half of it.
BTW, I think our mothers were cut from the same cloth. The best card I ever got was from my dearly beloved in 1980, when he gave me a card which was a foot high walrus wearing a T-shirt that said “I am loved!” and on the inside said, “So are you.” That’s all I ever needed.
I’ve never enjoyed Valentine’s Day — it’s too commercial (chocolate, flowers, cards) and contrived. My thought: we should tell the people we care about that we love them every day, not just when the calendar says that we should.
I have always loved Valentine’s Day! I always liked the school parties in grade school and making home made Valentine’s at home. I don’t think it has to be celebrated in any certain way and sometimes the smallest of things can bring joy. I do feel bad when I think of the pressures this day sometimes brings.
Oh, Lord…I remember those days. The school used it as a fundraiser, but it always led to so many hurt feelings. Ugh. By the time I was a senior, they had done away with it and you couldn’t even have flowers/balloons delivered to the school from parents. I was usually one of the ones that had one yellow rose from a friend or none at all, so I can honestly say that I wasn’t sad to see the tradition go.
Now, the littles enjoy it, especially Drama Llama, but they’re still at the age where *everyone* gets a valentine. 😉
V-day is a non-event in my book. I do recall those vintage cards with a few smiles but more I remember the awkward feeling when you receive one all “lovie dovie” and you so are not feeling the same. It’s a cruel tradition to force kids into IMHO.