Dear Customers,
At the end of this week is THE day that commemorates “love”. It’s a celebration of love and romance often accompanied by the exchange of gifts, greeting cards and other expressions of affection. When we were in grade school, back in the 1960’s it wasn’t uncommon to decorate an old shoe box in art class and then pass out small, single sheet “valentines” to all one’s classmates on February 14th.
So why that particular date? It’s believed that Valentine’s Day originated from the Roman festival of Lupercalia celebrating the coming of spring and fertility. Pagan rituals were frowned upon particularly as Christianity spread, so Valentine’s Day became a celebration in honor of the martyr, St. Valentine. As legend has it, St. Valentine defied the Roman Emperor’s ban on marriage and secretly performed marriage ceremonies. He paid for that service with his life.
I’m not at all sure where the custom of giving chocolates, cards and flowers was added to the celebration. If I had to guess, I’d assume it was lobbyists from the candy, greeting card and floral industries! But, if you really want to show someone you love them, performing an act that is normally out of your comfort zone would make a bigger impact.
For instance, if your wife or loved one does the bulk of meal preparation around your house, perhaps you pick up a couple of steaks from Costa’s, a baking potato and a bag of ready-made salad. Whip up a delicious, relatively simple meal and make “all kinds of points” – provided you don’t burn everything (anything!).
Household chores are another great way to indicate affection. I’m not talking about just taking care of the ones that are your responsibility anyway . . . maybe something above and beyond – like laundry, cleaning the bathroom or vacuuming! Love is truly “in the air” (or it could just be pet dander disturbed by the sweeper)!