Feb. 9, 2010 — I love St. Valentine’s Day. It is one of my favorite holidays. I like buying the silly little valentines with the strange little sayings and leaving them on co-workers desks with a piece of candy. I like buying heart-shaped boxes of chocolates for my children. I like sending out cards and small gifts to my nieces and nephew. I have a niece that was born on St. Valentine’s Day. She turns 18 this year. Valdy is her middle name and ironically, her middle name as nothing to with the holiday. She is named after my grandmother.

Some people, especially older people, take the day a little too seriously. One year, I gave people valentines and one of the men was taken a back that I wanted him as my Valentine. He hadn’t caught up to the change in tradition that valentines were not necessarily given to your one true love. To say that was an awkward moment is an understatement especially when the valentine was a transformer.   

When I was in grade school, we made gorgeous mailboxes to receive our homemade valentines card. We used ribbon, lace, paper doilies, tissue paper, etc. My mom taught me how to make paper roses and carnations. We prayed it wouldn’t rain or snow on the way to school so the tissue paper wouldn’t get wet and run. Midwest winters were not dry. We wore cutout hearts and red, pink, lavender and purple clothing. It was one day we were excused from the dreaded blue and gray itchy wool school uniform.   

Dad would come home from work with flowers and a big box of candy for Mom and little boxes of candy for us girls.    

As I got older, even without a boyfriend, I liked Valentine’s Day. It was fun to tell friends I loved them. I also love the color red.   

As I said earlier, I am behind in my shopping for the holiday. It falls on a Sunday this year so I have to gear up the day for this Friday, Feb. 12. My husband said he has my gift ready and all he wants is white socks. How boring is that? Maybe I will have to embroider little hearts on the toes of the socks. Chocolate won’t work; he is trying to shape up. Hmmm, maybe dinner out. I know we are going to the Susanville Symphony Society on Friday night. That is a perfect gift.    

And, my daughter may be home for the weekend. That is beyond the one of the best Valentine’s Day gifts. Any time I can be with one of my adult children, I am content.   

The biggest thing is to use the day to tell someone you care about you love him or her.