Valentine's Day
Now that we have all had our Valentine's Day celebrations, here are some things to think about. (It's not too late. As a florist's daughter, I refer to this as Valentine's WEEK. Have you ever tried to deliver 80 million dozen red roses on one day?)
As with most holidays, I dread the commercial frenzy and misguidance of Valentine's Day. What is the point of spending $10 on a bunch of flimsy paper cards with the latest annoying cartoon character on them? The exchange of valentines among children seems stressful and impersonal for them. Plus, isn't Valentine's Day about physical, romantic love anyway? Should children even be celebrating it?
I set out to discover why we celebrate Valentine's Day and I learned a few things. No one is sure of the details, but it seems that Saint Valentine was a Roman monk who refused to keep silent about the love of God and was jailed for it. Good for him! It also seems he sent a nice note to the jailer's blind daughter and she may have regained her sight. Sharing God's love and miracles sound great to me!
The steamy side to Valentine's Day comes from the pre-christian Lupercalia celebration. Single young people drew names to determine with whom they would be paired off for the year. I don't know about you, but that does not sound fun to me.
Here are some resources on the history of the holiday.
wikipedia,
saint valentine,
st valentine's day
We have tried to redeem the holiday around our house. I gladly accept flowers and mushy cards (and chocolate!) from my husband. It is wonderful to know that I am loved and important for the children to see their parents being affectionate. I bought a box of Valentines after the holiday one year for less than 25 cents. They have knock-knock jokes on them! They have lasted a few years now. We give them to each other. It is great to reinforce that we love each other and that acceptance and affection come from the family. We also get a good laugh from the knock-knock jokes. I also like to get a few good children's books out of the library about St. Valentine and read them to the kids. We all learn something!
This year my daughters, who are scouts, had a Valentine's Day tea party. They invited a few non-scouting girlfriends. They gave each other Valentines and enjoyed dressing up, being proper and getting to know new friends!
Happy St. Valentine's Day (Week)!
As with most holidays, I dread the commercial frenzy and misguidance of Valentine's Day. What is the point of spending $10 on a bunch of flimsy paper cards with the latest annoying cartoon character on them? The exchange of valentines among children seems stressful and impersonal for them. Plus, isn't Valentine's Day about physical, romantic love anyway? Should children even be celebrating it?
I set out to discover why we celebrate Valentine's Day and I learned a few things. No one is sure of the details, but it seems that Saint Valentine was a Roman monk who refused to keep silent about the love of God and was jailed for it. Good for him! It also seems he sent a nice note to the jailer's blind daughter and she may have regained her sight. Sharing God's love and miracles sound great to me!
The steamy side to Valentine's Day comes from the pre-christian Lupercalia celebration. Single young people drew names to determine with whom they would be paired off for the year. I don't know about you, but that does not sound fun to me.
Here are some resources on the history of the holiday.
wikipedia,
saint valentine,
st valentine's day
We have tried to redeem the holiday around our house. I gladly accept flowers and mushy cards (and chocolate!) from my husband. It is wonderful to know that I am loved and important for the children to see their parents being affectionate. I bought a box of Valentines after the holiday one year for less than 25 cents. They have knock-knock jokes on them! They have lasted a few years now. We give them to each other. It is great to reinforce that we love each other and that acceptance and affection come from the family. We also get a good laugh from the knock-knock jokes. I also like to get a few good children's books out of the library about St. Valentine and read them to the kids. We all learn something!
This year my daughters, who are scouts, had a Valentine's Day tea party. They invited a few non-scouting girlfriends. They gave each other Valentines and enjoyed dressing up, being proper and getting to know new friends!
Happy St. Valentine's Day (Week)!
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