Being in retail for my job puts all sorts of items for sale in front of me every week. I scan everything from 4th of July plates and cups to candy mice at Christmas, and from giant chocolate Easter bunnies to up to 250 Valentine's cards in a day. After scanning cards, candy, cups, plates, tablecloths, candles and every other consumable item concerned with the particular holiday in mind in this materialistic world we live in, I love to see love, and every Valentine greeting is soft, funny and pretty.
The mere thought of Valentine's day makes me smile, and I feel that it's the happiest and most fun of the annual holidays marked by cards, candy and gifts that is celebrated by American's. Of course, to state that Valentine's day is a holiday is a misnomer for some, for the word holiday actually means "holy day," and further described as being a religious festival or day of recreation (i.e.: day of no work). The origin of this annual occasion in the third century is unclear. It may have been started out of respect for a man named Valentine who was either imprisoned and sent the first "valentine" to his love, or was martyred for performing marriages for young soldiers, which was against the law. Pope Gelasius made February 14 St. Valentine's day at the end of the fifth century, so I guess we can call it a holiday, even though it is celebrated as neither here in the US.
Whatever the origin of the recognition of the day, the first valentine to be kept and documented as a valentine is a poem written by Charles, Duke of Orleans, in 1415 to his wife while he was imprisoned in the tower of London. Written valentine's notes began to be exchanged en masse sometime in the 17th century in Great Britian, and in America it became popular in the early 1700's, with mass-produced valentines produced by Esther H. Howland "Mother of the Valentine" in the 1840's. I prefer to make my own greeting cards, and I can only imagine hers with their lace, ribbons and colorful pictures. Once printing processes and the mail service were streamlined, mass production, as well as mass mailings of valentines could take place.
These days, approximately one billion valentine cards are sent each year, primarily in the countries of the US, Mexico, Canada, United Kingdom, France and Australia. This is the second highest number of greeting cards sent each year, less than two months after Christmas. Who buys and sends all these greetings? Women, of course, with 85% of the purchases made by them.
As I was scanning away at the hundreds of cards at WalMart this week, I began to formulate a card in my brain. There were funny cards, mushy cards, and just pretty designs that were in layers, with photographs and glitter. As I was picking up graphic ideas to put together my annual cards, I thought of a card to send to my brothers and sisters, and a few friends, that describes me, but turns the tables on the reader. I will close with the card, and with the note that I DO love the three things mentioned on the cover.
(cover - Red card stock with the individual words below written in a beautiful script and placed on a separate heart, possibly a doily)
My three favorite things:
You
Love
Food
(inside)
That doesn't sound right does it?
Happy Valentine's Day!
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