Happy Valentine's Day

No idea where that '&' came from, meant to write 'Marydoll, I'm with you ...'

The chish&fips bouquet has taken over my brain!

There's a funny pattern to St. Valentine's list as thoughtfully provided by Marydoll: you're stung by love, get engaged, might feel like fainting or having a fit when you realize what you're in for, & will go through patches that feel like the plague when you want to tell your beloved to hit the road!

It's ages since I've read 'Far From the Madding Crowd' but wasn't the fateful Valentine sent by Bathsheba to Boldwood originally intended for a small boy in the village? He'd been poorly if memory serves ... this was before Heinz tomato soup! I'm probably all a-muddle on that but food for thought on changing customs/ways of thinking.

10teds, what an absolutely lovely tradition! So glad you shared that. Wonderful to learn of & especially to know it hasn't died out.

Marydoll, & I'm with you in being grateful my family were innocents like yours. We weren't religious maniacs by any means but felt the origin of the day -
marriage/family/children (thanks also to Jalima for information shared; it wasn't gruesome, just historical) warranted a little extra expression of affection & thoughtfulness among ourselves & close friends. The legend of the saint leaving a kindly & loving (not amorous) note signed 'Your Valentine' for a young woman - whom he'd reputedly cured of blindness - on the eve of his martyrdom seemed to us to represent love more spiritual than erotic. That's just how we thought of it but everyone's different.

Jalima, just knowing about my bouquet absolutely made my day! Now I've got a goal for next year! Brilliant thing to share.

When I was young Valentine cards were sent anonymously and were mainly a teen boy/girl thing so a card from Dad or Grandad wouldn’t have cut it for me. Nowadays it seems they are sent amongst family members as a token of love and affection and nothing wrong with that.

My 4yr old DGS proudly gave his mum a Valentine card he had made at school and my 3yr old DGS also did like wise from nursery.
So schools and nursery obviously see
St Valentine's day as day to show love to loved ones whatever the age of the giver or receiver

But you can choose an in-mushy card. I did. White card, little red heart on the front....signed only with a x

At our NWR meeting we had an exchange of information about Valentine's Day in other countries. It's a very big thing in USA where, for example, children send Valentines to every classmate. It's at least as much about friendship as it is about romantic attachment. Apparently in Japan, it's a festival of chocolate, obviously invented and hyped by confectionery manufacturers. A lot of what we heard made our celebration of the event sound decidedly low-key. To be honest, I prefer the US tradition (apart from the more blatant commercial aspect) of involving friends and family to the mushy sentimentality of the cards you see in the shops here!

er......Obviously not.
I did not know this was done by others.
I respect the wishes and traditions of others but do not understand this.
Im feeling quite lucky to recieve a dozen red roses from my husband yesterday. He's not the easiest of men.
Valentines is romantic love for couples. Surely the only special day allocated to couples?
Shouldn't be hijacked and diluted by every family member being involved.

Valentines day should be about love in all different ways not just romantic love. I gave dgd a small box of chocs to give her mummy. Dgd was overjoyed. Next year dgd will be big enough to choose a pressie herself.

I agree Florence. Not about sex but romance. But obviously others think differently so thats fine.

Another date which has been hyped up to make us spend more. Children love to make and send cards and I don't have a problem with that, but not if they are buying cards at inflated prices. It's up to each person how and if they celebrate the day, I certainly wouldn't send cards to my dogs.

Never have, seems inappropriate. From mid-teens a school friend had one, as if from an unknown admirer, every year from her mother . Her DM told my DM who told me. It was so she was sure to get one ...I thought it dreadful and sad and would not have forgiven my DM had she done the same.
However yesterday I had a couple of Jon Ronson books in the mail. I’d ordered them for DS who is staying for a few days. I wrote ‘Happy Valentines’s Day’ in red pen on the package and drew hearts all over it ????. He was amused but hardly fooled as the package was addressed to me.

Equate love with sex I mean. It's a day for lovers to express their love toward their partner or 'love interest.' It's about romantic love imo which is not the same love we share with our families.

I don't think they do.

Does no one else find it sad that lots of people on this thread equate love with sex?

I send my grandchildren a Valentine card and also this year my great nieces (who are both 1 years old) why? because they are all deeply loved.

Why would you need to send a Valentine card to let your mum know she was loved ! sorry I just don’t get it I ve only ever known it as an anonymous card to a lover or hoped for lover

No do not send any

I work in the card industry merchandising and I was asked recently if we had a valentines card for a man to give his daughter. Another man asked for a card that said mum. Valentines is for lovers and secret admirers. I think the look on my face gave them the answer they needed

When my Lovely Mum was alive, and living alone, I used to send her a bouquet of flowers on Valentines day. I just wanted Mum to share this special day too and let her know how much she was loved. She was always thrilled.

Still ??? Never have it s an event for lovers not families isn’t it

I wish I'd seen it before we had our rather boring dinner!

Now that's my kind of Valentine Jalima
licks lips

I've sent a Valentine card to my DS every year since he was 7 and he's 34 now. Every year since he got married, DIL reminds me a couple of days before so that I don't forget not that you could with all the hype in the shops. He knows who sent it. His wife obviously knows who sent it. It's a bit of innocent family fun that costs a couple of pounds a year. I'll be doing it again next year and may even send to the GC too! Each to their own.

I made a card each for both sets of Grandchildren, they are all in their teens, I went down with the flu at the weekend, and havent been able to post the cards, but I took photographs of them and sent them a message as well, they can get their cards later, its the thought that counts isnt it!

Never occurred to me to send a card to a child !