Valentine's Day Chocolates ♥

Valentine's Day or Saint Valentine's Day is a holiday celebrated on February 14. In the Americas and Europe, it is the traditional day on which lovers express their love for each other by sending Valentine cards, presenting flowers, or offering confectionery. The holiday is named after two among the numerous Early Christian martyrs named Valentine. The day became associated with romantic love in the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the High Middle Ages, when the tradition of courtly love flourished.

The day is most closely associated with the mutual exchange of love notes in the form of "valentines." Modern Valentine symbols include the heart-shaped outline, doves, and the figure of the winged Cupid. Since the 19th century, handwritten notes have largely given way to mass-produced greeting cards. Leigh Eric Schmidt, "The Fashioning of a Modern Holiday: St. Valentine's Day, 1840-1870" Winterthur Portfolio 28.4 (Winter 1993), pp. 209-245. The sending of Valentines was a fashion in nineteenth-century Great Britain, and, in 1847, Esther Howland developed a successful business in her Worcester, Massachusetts home with hand-made Valentine cards based on British models. The popularity of Valentine cards in 19th-century America was a harbinger of the future commercialization of holidays in the United States. Leigh Eric Schmidt, "The Commercialization of the calendar: American holidays and the culture of consumption, 1870-1930" Journal of American History 78.3 (December 1991) pp 890-98.

The U.S. Greeting Card Association estimates that approximately one billion valentines are sent each year worldwide, making the day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year behind Christmas. The association estimates that women purchase approximately 85 percent of all valentines. American Greeting Card Association website.

(Article Source)

With today's bad economy, people losing their jobs and uncertain of their future finances, a night out may not be in the budget. Another simple thing that my husband and I have done throughout the years (and on many special occasions) is to buy our favorite foods and cook them at home. We pick up a nice bottle of champagne or wine, a couple of nice wine glasses (that you can find at a clearance sale), use a table cloth or even use a beautiful sheet to cover your table. Bring out the CD player and play some of your favorite romantic music. If you have children, you can take them to a relative or the grandparents for three or four hours. Try to create an atmosphere that is relaxing and romantic, where you can both forget about work and focus on yourselves.

Another thing we've done in the past, was had my brother and his wife join us. We all pitched in for the food and beverages and since my husband loves to cook, he would cook the dinner for us. I know this may sound boring to some, but sometimes just going back to basics can be especially rewarding.