I love Valentine’s Day. It is a very special day to celebrate your love with your Love. I don’t know very many people who do NOT love Valentine’s day. When you are in LOVE, and have found your Love, then Valentine’s Day can be a wonderful day! If you are single, then maybe you are not so keen on the holiday?

Gifting

I also love to receive gifts on Valentine’s Day. Yes, I love the flowers, the chocolate, the dinner, and if I have been extra good, hopefully, a little something extra! Does that make me materialist? Maybe? I decided to look up the origins of Valentine’s Day on Wikipedia. So I was not wrong in assuming my love should present me with flowers, chocolate and a card! Continue reading below to find out why!

Valentine’s Day, also called Saint Valentine’s Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine,^[1] is celebrated annually on February 14. It originated as a Western Christian feast day honoring one or two early saints named Valentinus. Valentine’s Day is recognized as a significant cultural, religious, and commercial celebration of romance and romantic love in many regions around the world, although it is not a public holiday in any country.

The Feast of Saint Valentine was established by Pope Gelasius I in AD 496 to be celebrated on February 14 in honour of the Christian martyr, Saint Valentine of Rome, who died on that date in AD 269.^[6][7] The day first became associated with romantic love within the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the 14th century, when the tradition of courtly love flourished. In 18th-century England, it grew into an occasion in which couples expressed their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery, and sending greeting cards (known as “valentines”). Valentine’s Day symbols that are used today include the heart-shaped outline, doves, and the figure of the winged Cupid. Since the 19th century, handwritten valentines have given way to mass-produced greeting cards.^[8]

Valentine’s Day 2018

Last year my Love surprised me with a pair of Tom Ford sunglasses in advance of Valentine’s Day. No, I didn’t mind getting my Valentine’s Day gift in advance. And YES it was extravagant. And NO – I did not ask for them either! On Valentine’s Day, I was surprised to receive a bouquet of flowers. I wondered who had sent them. I wasn’t really expecting flowers because of my early gift of sunglasses. I was so touched when I opened the envelope and read the card. My sweet Love had also sent me flowers! Oh, what bragging rights!

Valentine’s Day 2019

Now my Love and I have decided to be more mindful of our spending this year. So this year, in advance of Valentine’s Day, my Love asked me if I would like flowers, a gift, or if I wanted the cash instead. Any other time in my life I would have been upset. Not this year. He was so thoughtful. I could use that money to pay my cell phone bill, my hydro bill, I could use it to buy groceries. I could even take the money and SAVE it! Can you guess what I decided? I told him that I didn’t need anything. I was just happy to have him in my life. Talk about bragging rights! Now I am not saying that it is a good thing, or a bad thing to give or receive Valentine’s Day gifts. You just need to do what is right for you and your Love.

Not sure what Valentine’s Day 2020 will be like. I will let you know next year.