Every February 14, do you feel obligated to do something special, like put on an extraordinary display of love, for your partner?
One of my bugbears about Valentine's Day is that gifts get unusually expensive during this time of the year. Clearly retailers need to make profits but the inordinate inflation of flower prices - seriously?
The idea behind V-day also makes expressions of love and appreciation reserved for this 'special' occasion. And most certainly, V-Day emphasises romance over other kinds of love - which is a limiting focus.
What's love to you in the everyday?
Laying toothpaste on your husband's toothbrush, tying your kids' shoelaces, high-fiving a co-worker or calling to check up on your mother or a pal - that's Love too.
It shouldn't and doesn't take a special day for us to celebrate the ones special to us.
Send Love
When I curated the 'January Snailmail Kit - Heart Attack' (aptly named because this kit is brimming with heart-shaped stickers and supplies), I had these thoughts in mind.
I decided that this kit will be available all-year round, not just in Jan/Feb for Valentine's Day, so that whenever you want to say 'I love you', our kits are around to help you craft your heartfelt messages.
One of our Stickiemail Missions is to #sendlovewithstickers. So I would like to share a V-Day special promotion. Instead of paying more, pay less for our Kit this Jan/Feb!
Get 20% off of the Jan Snailmail Kit: Heart Attack! when you use the voucher code HEART2HEART, valid until 14 Feb.
Origins of V-Day
Finally, I want to leave you with the legend of St. Valentine. The history of Valentine’s Day leads us back to its patron saint. History.com tells us:
"The Catholic Church recognises at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred. One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men. Valentine, realising the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine’s actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death.
Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons, where they were often beaten and tortured. According to one legend, an imprisoned Valentine actually sent the first “valentine” greeting himself after he fell in love with a young girl–possibly his jailor’s daughter–who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter signed “From your Valentine,” an expression that is still in use today."
We don't know for sure the truth behind the Valentine legends, but clearly these stories appeal to us with the qualities of bravery and selflessness rooted in love.
In spite of the commercialisation of V-Day and its pitfalls, I do think V-Day has its merits as a rite of passage for young lovers and if anything, I use it as a reminder to celebrate love, always.
Xx, Diana.