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The song playing is "Valentine". It was originally performed by
Country Music star, Martina McBride. This is just one of many songs appropriate
for Valentine's
Day.
Valentine's
Day
Valentine's Day is believed to
have had its beginnings in a Roman festival called the Lupercalia.
The early Roman men often wore the names of the girls who were to be
their partners during the Lupercalia pinned to their sleeves. Even
today we say that a man wears his heart upon his sleeve when he
shows his interest in a young lady. Sometimes the couple exchanged
presents. Ladies often received perfumed gloves or fine jewels.
After the Lupercalia became a saint's day honoring Saint Valentine,
some of the old customs were kept. It remained an important time for
anyone looking for a mate. In the 17th century a hopeful maiden ate
a hard-boiled egg and pinned five bay leaves to her pillow before
going to sleep on Valentine's eve. She believed this would make her
dream of her future husband.
Later, people began to exchange valentine cards instead of
presents. the Duke of Orleans is believed to have made the first
valentine card. Imprisoned in the Tower of London in 1415, he wrote
love poems, or "valentines," to his wife in France. Sweethearts
exchanged handmade cards during the 17th and 18th centuries. The
French trimmed huge paper hearts with yards of real lace.
Valentine cards became popular in the United States during the
Civil War. Elaborate cards trimmed with satin ribbons,
mother-of-pearl ornaments, and spun glass were sold. Within a few
years Valentine's Day received almost as much attention as
Christmas.
Today's valentine cards are simpler. Children often exchange them
with their schoolmates. They can easily be bought in stores, but it
is good fun and a pleasant pastime to make them yourself.
Written by: Natalie Fantony, Dennison Company
Valentine's Day
Trivia:
In Victorian times it was considered bad luck to sign a
Valentine's Day card.
In Japan, girls give Valentine's Day chocolates to boys.
Victorians believed that if a lady put a silver coin under her
pillow on Valentine's eve, she'd receive a proposal by the end of
the year.
Valentine's Day didn't become popular in the United States until
the 1800s.
Claire's Valentine for
you!
Around The House
Romance
You can set the scene for
romance, a little touch here and there for senses. Cozy up for
winter, clear out clutter in spring, plant a garden.
Put out wedding pictures of
family and friends and mix in a couple of those little bride and
groom statues that come from tops of wedding cakes.
Decorate with large seashells in
spring, a bowl of lemons or peaches in summer, baskets of apples,
nuts and pears in winter
An open cupboard with pretty
china and hanging teacups is charming ~ also try hanging flowered
plates on the wall.
Little dishes of candy ~ like
red hots at Valentine's Day, chocolates at Christmas, candy~covered
Easter eggs in spring. If you have a problem with this, get the kind
you don't like!
Bouquets of romantic flowers ~
sweet peas, poppies, stock, peonies, snapdragons, ~ something that
smells good. Prints and paintings of fruits and flowers ~
needlepoint flower pillows; flowery anything is romantic.
Use old flowered pitchers and
sugar bowls for vases.
Lace tablecloths and doilies ~
glass candlesticks in summer, wooden or brass ones in
winter.
"Love from the Heart of the
Home" By Susan Branch
Click Book To See Poems
Heartprints
Whatever our hands touch---
We leave fingerprints!
On
walls, on furniture,
On doorknobs, dishes, books,
As we touch
we leave our identity.
Oh please where ever I go today,
Help me leave
heartprints!
Heartprints of compassion
Of understanding and
love.
Heartprints of kindness
and genuine concern.
May my heart touch a lonely neighbor
Or a runaway
daughter,
Or an anxious mother,
Or, perhaps, a dear
friend!
I shall go out today
To leave heartprints,
And if someone
should say
"I felt your touch,"
May that one sense be...YOUR
LOVE
Touching through ME.
Author Unknown
Make Your Own
Traditions
Make family valentines by
hand. Busy schedules may allow for only simple creations,
but handmade cards are best whenever possible. These make nice
entries in your family scrapbook.
Serve a Valentine's Day
Breakfast. Make it a festive tradition, with toast cut
into heart shapes and spread with strawberry jelly, flowers on the
table, and whatever else your imagination creates to say to your
family, "I Love You".
Have family members create their
own valentine mailboxes and decorate them to suit their
fancies. Let each person deliver a valentine to each of
the other mailboxes; then have a "mail call" at breakfast.
Think of ways to complete the
sentence "I love you because..." for each family member.
Write the completed sentence on a slip of paper and drop it in
the valentine mailbox of the person described. Children who
can't yet write can dictate their sentiments to another family
member. The notes take only a few minutes to prepare, but the
results can be deeply affirming. You may even be surprised at
the things your family loves most about you!
Individualize the valentine
tradition of sending flowers. You can freshen up this
almost universal custom by choosing your own "trademark" flower to
present every year rather than the standard red splashy bunch of
golden mums. Or leave the flowers to be discovered in the same
unusual place each year as your "signature". Leave a single
yellow rose on the bed pillow...on the carseat...in the medicine
cabinet!
With a little imagination, the unusual
can become the traditional in your family's celebration of
Valentine's Day.
 
 
  
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