Listen people, we, as a society, don't show enough love. It seems like hand-written notes are a thing of the past, gifts are only for Christmas (or Hanukkah, heeeey Jewish friends) and we only know it's someone's birthday because facebook tells us so. Don't get me started on rude people and folks who don't smile back when you both make eye contact and you smile! Even just a turn of the sides of the mouth is appreciated.
I don't know a lot about our purpose on earth, but I know one thing to be true - one of our jobs is to show love, to give love, to make others feel beautiful and special, and then, in turn, to receive love. I am a HUGE fan of sending greeting cards (who does not love getting a personalized piece of mail? See below), finding the perfect gift for someone (that fits the receiver's personality, not the giver!), and letting special people know you love them - just because!
So this brings me to my adoration of Valentine's Day. Not necessarily the history of Valentine's Day (interesting article found here: http://www.history.com/topics/valentines-day) because it's quite gruesome and depressing, but the modern interpretation of Valentine's Day is to SHOW LOVE. How could this be bad? If you peel away the "I hate the commercialization, you-have-to-have-a-boyfriend, remind-me-I'm-single-why-don't-you"ness, the true meaning of Valentine's Day is for us to stop and take a moment to really think about those that we love. So whether this means sending an email to a faraway friend, or calling your mom, or making or buying a card for someone - it is important to stop and think of those we love.
Myth: "You have to have a significant other."
My verdict: FALSE. Some of my favorite (and let's be clear, most of my) Valentine's Days have been spent with girlfriends - having a potluck dinner, watching horribly wonderful chick flicks, or having a "pamper ourselves" night. Those nights were lovely, and ones that I remember forever.
Myth: Valentine's Day is just a Hallmark holiday.
My verdict: TRUE/FALSE - Yes, Hallmark makes a ton off of Valentine's Day, but you don't have to buy into that! I started making holiday cards during my first stint with unemployment (oh boy, this makes me look good). I didn't have a lot of money but I did have a lot of time. I used fabric from my favorite shirt (that had just ripped due to shotty craftsmanship) and spent hours making hand-made Christmas cards. That was two years ago and I have been making my holiday cards ever since.
Since I happen to have a lot of time on my hands this year (wow, surprised!) - I have made Valentine's Day cards for about 15 loved ones, that I will be sending with some other goodies that I am going to make this week (blog posts to follow, youbetcha!)
Here's what I did for my cards, but really, as long as you have some crafty paper and a pen, you can do anything you like! Even finger paint hearts is fun and easy. See below for links to other great Do It Yourself Valentine's Day Cards.
I found at Papersource:
20 paper hearts (already pre-cut but super easy to do yourself)
Ribbon tape (great alternative to ribbon since you don't have to mess with glue)
Small notecards that read "My favorite thing about you is" and "the best thing about you is".
And I went to town! Decorating each heart with ribbon to reflect the person that I was sending it to (remember - designing the gift for the receiver).. I then attached my card and wrote one to two favorite things about the person I am sending it to.
Not only was this a fun craft project, but I am hoping that these cards will bring a moment of happiness to my mom and girlfriends (and even some guy friends), they'll also appreciate the effort as well as the love. :)
Stay tuned for Valentine's Day cookies (homemade of course) and home made gifts / care packages!
Other great resources:
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