Stay, Little Valentine, Stay

By the 3-H Tarts Harley, Heather and Hank

Tick tick tick tick. Only about a week until Valentine's Day. So let's get in the hearts and flowers and lace mood, what say, and talk about V-Days past and future. And present. And presents.

 Most Memorable?

 HANK: No idea. I don't remember any of them. Really. You know me, I’m as sentimental s they come. But Valentine’s Day? Nothing. Nada.

 HEATHER: Valentine's Day, 1981. My older sister had tried very hard to have a child. They'd been to doctors, and nothing. Then, he was transferred, she was running back and forth from Miami and Naples, Fl. and suddenly, she was about to have a child. DJ was born on the February 13th, and she sat up and held him on the 14th. I've never had such a happy Valentine's Day--we were all going crazy with chocolate, champagne, and little boy spice!

 HARLEY: That one is Still To Come, for me. But I have a friend who was out to dinner with a guy she’d just begun to date and his toupée caught on fire. I don’t remember if it was from a rogue candlestick or some flambée dish, but it's hard to top that.

HANK: I rest my case.

 
Worst?

 HEATHER: Years ago, when I was working as a club entertainer/dinner theater ensemble cast member at night and bar-tending by day. There was a huge Valentine's party and the troop went around singing wonderful romantic songs to the crowd. I thought the look on the girl's face meant that she loved the song. It meant she'd already imbibed two bottles of champagne . . . and it spewed. She'd already consumed it, and re-spewed, I should say. Horrible! And I only got to wipe up until the show was over andby the time I got into the shower it was . . . oh, bah, humbug! I hate Valentine's Day! And to Dennis, "Please! Don't even speak to me, I'm so sorry, and please! For the love of God, get that champagne out of here!

 HANK: The good thing about no Valentines Day in my memory bank is that I have no bad memories, specific ones at least, either. But there’s that moment in every office when the bouquets of roses begin appearing at the front desk, you know, cards on display, and it’s all about the public display of who got flowers and who didn’t. Grr.

HARLEY: The year my boyfriend, a French chef, was about to break up with me. He didn’t quite have the nerve to do it on Valentine’s Day, so he took me out to a romantic dinner but he was in a horrible mood and picked a fight with the chef, who refused to put my sauce on the side. I remember the poor waiter standing there miserably and the two chefs arguing and me saying, “Jean-François, it’s okay, I’ll just scrape off the sauce, I don’t care.” By the time the entrée came, I had no appetite and we were barely speaking.

 HANK: Like I said. I rest my case.

 
 Who the hell IS St. Valentine, anyway? (no fair Googling until after you take your best guess)

HARLEY: I keep thinking he was a martyr and died in some hideous way that involved a lot of blood. (or am I thinking of the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre?) I’m hoping he wasn’t one of the celibate monk-type saints.

HEATHER: It's not exactly a national holiday. And, St. Valentine is not up on the highest tiers of saints. But, he was a martyr, and he did die, and his remains are supposed to be somewhere up north of Rome. Since he died with others (if I remember all this right, now!) I'm not sure why it's just his name--which means strong and honorable, or something else quite nice--came to be the one honored. I wonder he thinks, in the great room of martyrs in the sky, about being celebrated by lots of jewelry and gifts and hugs and kisses and candlelit dinners. And Hallmark? Well, Hallmark sells cards. I do, however, loathe the advertisements that suggest a woman would be delighted by the gift of a diamond during a video chat with her soldier husband. Please! If they love one another, she just wants him to come home safely; I may be in truth the bah-humbug one of this, but I find it insulting to our sex that she'd be happy with a rock and not just a look at the face of a man facing gunfire every day.

HARLEY: Okay, now I really do have to Google him.

HANK: Puh-leeze. Me, Margie, probably has this one down. But I think St. Valentine was designed by the same person who thought up the Smurfs and the Hamburglar and the creepy Burger King guy.

Listen, last night I dreamed, and I am not kidding, that I was transported to the Disney Cruise ship, where I discovered they drugged people to get them to perform in costume as the cartoon characters. I guess I must just be in a bad mood. Ignore me.

 
True Holiday or Conspiracy by Greeting Card/Chocolate/Floral industries?

 HARLEY: Probably some perfectly good pagan holiday that was taken over by the Church and assigned to St. Valentine, whose feast day it happened to fall upon, and then Hallmark came along and further stripped it of any archetypal significance or eroticism and made it about chalky pastel candy hearts and cute pink puppies. I realize I’m now offending both Catholics and Hallmark executives.

 HEATHER:. Okay, another bah humbug answer. Dennis knows better than to bring me flowers. I think it may have started when "Petey," my great-grandfather died. He'd picked up his kids and grandkids and come to the states, and was really a fine old hard-working fellow. He put down roots in Chicago, and had a tons of friends for the "old country" to meet as his favorite pub every night. I was about four or five when he died, and they had his funeral at the "family" house. There were so many flowers, and their was Granda lying in the midst of them with all the old Irish guys drinking beer and lifting it to his coffin, saying, "Ah, Petey! We'll be missing you so!" Then others in my family died as well, and went to funeral homes, and the smell was the same there. Go figure on this one--still love beer! Flowers, non fattening. Beer, not so good for you. I'm not big on gifts; I just like to have a nice night. And, oh, vey! Then when you have kids . . . well, you just hope they are happy in love. There's nothing like a depressed kid, moping about broken-hearted. This year, I'm hopeful all will be well.

 HANK: BIG CONSPIRACY! I did a story about it, in the last couple of years. We bought a dozen roses on January 13. And priced them. Then we bought the SAME bouquets on February 13. And the cost was double, triple, quadruple. I mean--okay, fine, I know about capitalism. But it made me so mad. It was so--obvious. It's extortion, plain and simple.

Unfair burden upon the male of the species, or It's About Damn Time You Brought Home Some Measly Flowers, Buster

HEATHER: Unfair burden? Hey, should be both sexes, in my humble opinion. It's an unfair burden for the mothers of small children who must stay up all night making sure that they have little cut-out cards for every single member of a classroom. And something for the teacher. And there may be more than one child . . . and then, flowers for the coach or the principal? Fruit basket, candy . . . she's so tired, she barely remembers that she has a husband, boyfriend, or lover later!

HANK: Burden? I say unfair burden to the mother who has to explain to her kid why they didn’t get a valentine from everyone. Even though they gave one to everyone. Not that I know this from experience. Grrr. Plus, see above about he measly flowers. I tell Jonathan, just ignore the whole thing. Each day is Valentine’s Day…

 
Favorite gift?

 HANK: And yet, if someone sends me white tulips, I’m pretty blown away. (Also big on Hermes scarves, but that’s big ticket for Valentine’s Day.) 

HEATHER: Nice dinner by the water. (Ah, yes! Love Florida!) It will include a delicious beer on tap, maybe Guinness in a place that knows enough not to put it in a frosted glass!

 HARLEY: Poems from my children (e.g. “Roses are red, violets are blue, I love my mom and she loves me.” Genius.) Least favorite? There are no bad gifts. But household appliances come close.

HANK: No one has brought up lacy underwear and such. Wonder what that means...

Must it be Godiva, or is Russell Stover okay?

HARLEY: Depends entirely upon the gift-giver.

HANK: Oh, I agree Harley. It’s the thought that counts. Jonathan eats the chocolate at our house, anyway. But no one likes creams. Right? You poke them, stuff gooshes, out you toss them. When I was a little girl, though, I was fascinated by Whitman’s Samplers. I loved the charts on the lid.

HEATHER: I say, if you go with chocolate, the new itsy bitsy Reeses Pieces are the very best!

HANK: And it’s fun to read the little conversation hearts.

SO gang, how do you feel about Valentine’s Day? What would you put on a little heart? And are you giving-getting anything special? What about your memories? Your favorite romantic movie or song or food?

Comments

[Harley]

I hate to be argumentative, but for the record, I'm okay with cream-filled chocolates.

[marie]

The most memorable Valentine's Day card I received was from my husband when we went to the grocery store.
While I was loading up on groceries he was in the parking lot borrowing a pen to sign a two foot by three foot valentine that he had covertly purchased in another aisle of the store. Talk about public displays of affection!!

[KD Easley]

My ex never got Valentines Day or birthdays or really any other holiday that required him to do more than sit in his boxers and drink beer. He did get me a gift for Valentines Day once. A food processor and a wok. He spent over a hundred bucks on something I didn't need and didn't have the time to use and that we couldn't afford. He never figured out that if he'd come home with a card or one of the cheesy roses they sell at the quick shop I would have been thrilled.

I have to say I love flowers and chocolate and either one would put a smile on my face on Valentines Day.

[Doc In CA]

I am a lucky man because my wife...

Does not wear jewelry
Does not like cut flowers, especially roses
Doesn't eat much candy
Doesn't much give a damn about Valentines Day

I'll cook her a nice dinner on V Day, but I do that most days anyway.

I suspect she cuts me slack on V Day because I have never once forgotten our anniversary or her birthday, although she has forgotten both of them twice.

[Reine]

Most of my Valentine's Days have melded into an uncomfortable blob of chocolate, lace cards, fluffy pink heart cakes, and red hearts on anything. Oh, and forget negligees. They're not me. As my cousin Kurt said to me one day, "You're not a girly girl." Even my cousin Richie noticed, "I like you, cuz you're not a sissy." My cop cousin Greg, "You shoulda stayed on the force. It totally suits you." My cop cousin Davey, "It's a good thing you left the force. You make me look like a friggin' sissy." Well, you get the idea.

I like romance and love. I enjoy a special evening. I liked doing things with the kids when they were little. I made cookies and gave them those little candy hearts. They liked making lace hearts, so we did a lot of that sort of thing. They were sweet.

My best Valentine's Day was in grad school when I found a bunch of those little Valentines - the kind kids give out at school - in my mail cubby in the basement. They were from other students, anonymously given with comments that were... I don't know... um... encouraging and well, just thoughtful I guess... lovely. I'd been having a difficult time.

My worst Valentine's Day was in school, too. If it was your birthday, which Valentine's Day is for me, at my school you got a little cake with a candle, and everyone sang "Happy Birthday." I told the teacher it was my birthday, and she said that it was not. It was Valentine's Day, and no I, greedy little girl, would have to wait until my birthday for my cake. I would not be getting any more than anyone else. Of course I did what every sensible four year old does. I threw my candy hearts and my crayons at the teacher, stomped on the Valentine box, squished Carolyn's cupcake in her hair (because she was laughing at me), and screamed fucking bloody murder. I was expelled from kindergarten. I was thrilled. That totally made up for the no-birthday trauma.

[Joshilyn Jackson]

ooooh creams are just another way to say FONDANT -- I like those best. Bitter, dirty-hearted Black chocolate with over-sweet white poufy fondant. Send em my way...

[Hank Phillippi Ryan]

GO, Reine!

And Joshilyn, this just proves, with so many Tarts and so many candy choices,life is just like a box of...oh, no.

DId you see the number one Valentines day movie is--oh, wait I forget. It might have been AN Affair to Remember. It might have been When Harry Met Sally. Let me look it up. My dear Love, Actually want even n the list. WEIRD.

[Maryann Mercer]

My worst Valentine's Day? Eighth grade...made a really special card for the boy I liked. He pitched it. I kind of hope karma caught up with him. Not sure I've really had a "best" one, although I'm sure there were some really nice ones. Chuck's not a big Hallmark person...but he does unexpected things during the year...breakfast out, fixing Sunday dinner(and cleaning up after), so I'm not complaining. No cut flowers please. Plants are nice.Fannie May dark chocolate butter creams are fantastic. One year I got a giant white teddy bear with a red ribbon.

Oh and Hank...Forrest Gump was on last night. Talk about a love story :o)

[Harley]

For me that V-day movie would have to be YOU'VE GOT MAIL. I'm just a sucker for that one.

But now you're inspiring me, Hank, and I may just have to break out LOVE, ACTUALLY.

Or TWO FOR THE ROAD, my all-time favorite. But that's a romance for cynics.

[Paulina]

I’m with Hank about Valentine ’s Day. Being a romantic person I don’t give a damn about it and I don’t know why.
The best one – I don’t know.
The worst one- I was looking for a restaurant with a client from abroad but everything was occupied, we finally could make a reservation in a suburb of Paris. Hmm.

And I don’t need Valentine’s day to eat chocolate.

[Me, Margie]

It's Me, Margie.

Duh. I already explained the Valentine's Day Story.

Here it is, and you are welcome.

http://thelipstickchronicles.typepad.com/the_lipstick_chronicles/2010/02/margies-valentines-day-story-2010-edition.html

[hank phllippi ryan]

Okay, MArgaret, I'll admit it. I've never seen Forrest Gump. Know why? Just thinking about it makes me cry, so I just don't want to put myself through it.
I've never seen Steel Magnolias, or Beaches, or Terms of Endearment. Chariots of Fire.
You name the sad or triumph-of-the-human-spirit movie, I haven't seen it. Self-protection.
Oh, I did see Sling Blade, by mistake. I cried for about three weeks.

[Karen in Ohio]

Hank, I don't know how you get through some of your in-depth stories without breaking up, if you're that tenderhearted. I would blubber like a five-year old who didn't get a valentine from the class.

The best Valentine's Day I ever had was a lo-o-ong time ago, when my then-boyfriend handed me a lovely small heart-shaped box of chocolates. I opened the box to find a heart-shaped hole cut into the paper, with a wad of tissue stuffed through a diamond engagement ring, and the words "Will you marry me?" written beside it. The ring was one I had admired months earlier, and had kind of thought I would get for Christmas, but hadn't, and I'd totally forgotten about it. We didn't marry, but I wore that lovely little ring for years and years until I gave it to my youngest daughter last year.

When my husband and I were dating, and for several years afterwards, he traveled six months of the year, lecturing with his wildlife films, and he was usually gone in February. One year I opened a small card with a picture of a sweet little bunny on it, an Easter card. Inside it said "Happy V-D". For several panicked moments I thought it meant something other than the intended sentiment of "Happy Valentine's Day"!

I think that was the last valentine he gave me, come to think of it.

[xena]

Worst/Best? was in Junior High School when I had a mad crush on a boy named Robert Tuttle who was in my home room. I went to school only to realize it was the day to select home room sweethearts and I wasn't wearing red. You had to have on red to be on the ballot. I remember dashing to the office and calling my mother in a panic to please please please mommie bring me a skirt or something red or I'm going to die.
She did and we won and then actually won sweethearts for the day for the whole 7th grade.
Poor Robert actually gave me his ID Bracelet (which I still have) and kissed me. >WHEW< Beats any other Valentine's Day since just by level of hormones raging if nothing else.
You could put chocolate on cardboard and I'd eat it and I still make paper and lace hearts with glitter which reminds me of another V-day when my husband and I had slipped away to the bedroom in a romantic moment (no bathtubs involved)and my son decided to use the pink glitter on the dining room table to glitter Isaac Dog.

[Nancy Pickard]

Karen, so funny about the Happy V-D card. And you reminded me of My First Boyfriend, a guy who was the nicest of the bunch. On one V Day he gave me a music box he'd made in shop class--it played "I Love You Truly"--and a little cardboard die on which he'd written "I love you" on every side, so no matter how I rolled it, it came up love. Awww. WHY did I leave him?

Worst. . .the asshole who broke up with me on V-Day. In the morning. By phone.

[Margaret Maron]

Harley, you're one of the few people who's ever mentioned TWO FOR THE ROAD as one of their favorites, too. Definitely in my top ten. And it's probably heresy, but I rate SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE over AN AFFAIR TO REMEMBER, which lost me when Deborah Kerr did that sappy teaching-little-children-to-sing scene. Romantic movies shouldn't make you gag. Pass the orange cream chocolates, please.

[peach]

No best or worst Valentine's Day for me because I could care less about the day. I'm just not a romantic kind of woman. Go out to dinner, eh; flowers, blah; I don't want Russell Stover, Whitman's or the like. I have a hard time concealing my disappointment if I'm given any of the above.

Don't get me wrong. I like going out to dinner because I love good food. I love flowers, just not floral arrangements or cut roses in my house. I love deep dark chocolate covered truffles, jellies and nuts, but they must be from local chocolatiers made fresh and by hand.

I just don't want any of the above on Valentine's Day. Just for once I'd like my husband to give me one of these gifts as a surprise on any old day. Not a proscribed holiday or anniversary.

Oh yeah, I'm not a card kind of girl either.

[Hank Phillippi Ryan]

OH, Jonathan loves Sleepless in Seattle, too! (I do, too.) Two for the Road--I'll have to watch again. And I also love You've got Mail--except for the sell-out ending. But it guess it was realistic.

Karen, yes, with a news story, it;s different, somehow. Maybe because I have to figure out how to tell it, so I'm in a different position.

Nancy, that;s cute. About the die, not about the stupid break-up guy.

How about The Philadelphia Story? (Or High Society, if you want it with music.) Does that count as a love story?

[Becky Hutchison]

Most memorable - in sixth grade a guy who wasn't my boyfriend gave me chocolate covered cherries. (I'm a plain chocolate girl, BTW.) I didn't know what to say since I didn't feel the same way about him. It was weird.

My husband and I exchange cards, and he usually gets me a little plant--which is lovely and my kind of celebration. Simple. Inexpensive. Caring. As you can tell, we're not romantics.

[Becky Hutchison]

Hank, I love You've Got Mail. One time my husband had the movie on while he was flipping channels. I just saw the last five minutes and still cried. I also like two other love stories that aren't advertised as such -- Twister and Music & Lyrics. Oh, and Pride and Prejudice, the Colin Firth version AND the newer one with Keira Knightly.

[Alan P.]

Two years ago I delivered flowers for a florist on VD. I got totally screwed on the areas, but had fun. There were a few memorable deliveries. Around 6:00am I was at a condo building with a security door. I rang for the unit and waited. A girl came walking out of the elevator and headed out the door. I knew the flowers were not for her. She was carrying a sweater and her laptop and the laptop bag was stuffed with something else. She headed out the door, and I left the flowers by the mailboxes. When I went out to the car, there as a bra on the sidewalk. The girl was sitting in her car waiting for it to warm up. I did my best impression of an old guy with a straight face, and tapped on the glass and told her she may have dropped something.

Another delivery was to an office for a guy. I was the second floral delivery for him. The women in the office all got excited when I walked in, until I asked for "Jim". The next words out of the women was "How many strippers are you sleeping with?"

When I got home after a day of flowers, I promptly told my favorite ex-columnist, Elaine both stories. Truth is stranger than fiction.

Best Valentines would probably be 1980. The high school yearbook sold carnations for VD that would be delivered around school. I bought two. Shelly wrote something nice in my yearbook about VD. I didn't think of the other things VD is an abbreviation for until my mom read my yearbook much later. The girl who got the other carnation still has it. She showed it to our daughters.

Yes, Valentines day is a rip off/conspiracy whatever. Last week, a dozen nice roses were $20.00. Next week $50. Several dozen restaurants will be serving "specials" that include food they don't serve any other time of the year, smaller portions, extra tables, and "special pricing" that means they add two glasses of $5.00 champagne and package it as a dinner for two that is priced like dinner for three.

I buy good chocolates. Although the cute heart shaped boxes are great for the girls.

[Hank Phillippi Ryan]

Peach, you ARE romantic. But just when YOU (or a loved one) say so.

[Harley]

Yes, yes, yes -- both PHILADELPHIA STORY and HIGH SOCIETY.

Me, Margie, you're so right. I just knew that in the dim recesses of my mind, you'd told us the St. Valentine's Day story. My problem is that my memory re-sets every year and dumps out everything I learned the year before.

Margaret - my soulmate. Even the TWO FOR THE ROAD soundtrack gets me crying.

[Barb Goffman]

During grad school, the guy I was with didn't want to give roses to me for Valentines Day because it supposedly was too cliche. So instead he had a basket of fruit delivered.

My reactions: (1) A basket of fruit. Really?; (2) It's very sweet that he got me something, it truly was, but it made me wonder if he knew me at all because (other than mango and canteloupe and orange juice, which weren't in the basket), I don't eat fruit, and considering the amount of time we spent together, he should have known that. (3) Roses are never too cliche. Never.

[Terry Shames]

What a great topic. Read the whole thing and all the topics. Favorite post? Reine! My kind of gal. Knows how to throw a fine tantrum.

DH and I aren't much for Valentine's Day. One year we were both busy and decided to go out for dinner. Our usual place was booked, so we tried another. On our third try, I whined to the hostess, "Why is everything so busy tonight?" She grinned bigtime and said, "You don't know it's Valentine's Day, do you?" Oh.

[marie]

I have always loved the song "My Funny Valentine."

[Mo]

I am not big on Valentine's Day, I like my romance all year round and luckily I married a romantic guy. Once a month, for over 20 years now, he has a bouquet of my favorites flowers delivered to my office. Random, silly loot is left on my living room chair. I find "I miss you" cards in my suitcase when I unpack at the hotel while on a business trip. With a keeper like him at home who care's about a made up holiday.

[Cathy]

Personally, I'm not particularly big on Valentine's Day.

My mom's birthday is Valentine's Day. When we were kids, we used to ask her what she wanted for her birthday and she's say "a big kiss." So now, no matter what else I get her for her birthday, she also gets one of those jumbo sized Hershey's kisses.

[Harley]

So what I want to know is, since there seems to be a consensus that V Day is no big deal, who's keeping this holiday alive? Can it really be the Floral Industry?

[Karen in Ohio]

Harley, it seems as though the long-marrieds or those who have been in long-term relationships are the ones who feel it isn't a big deal. (Or those like me, conditioned to feel that way. Sigh.) Single, never married women are more likely to feel differently, I suspect.

[Hank Phillippi Ryan]

I agree..Reine rocks. And it's so hilarous to hear all these memeories and preferences. What a very lovely group! I'm going to send each and every one of you a Valentine. Oh, okay, maybe not. But as we've agreed, it's the thought.

And yeah, Me, Margie. I know there was something..

Becky, come on. You're a romantic too. oxox

Nobody thought it was weird that I dreamed about the Disney drugging? Ah, we are all so jaded..

[Tammy Kaehler]

I have to give a shout-out to HIGH SOCIETY. Love that movie! "Truuuuue love ..."

Fortunately, both my husband and I find Valentine's Day annoying (of course, he finds Christmas annoying too, but that's another topic). I'm all for a nice night together (in or out), but the idea that it Must. Be. That. Day. is absurd. I know he loves me, and vice-versa. Bah, humbug.

[KD Easley]

Ooh, reading everyone's posts reminded me of my most memorable Valentines Day. My then boyfriend and I got all dressed up in our Sunday best and headed out of town for a really nice dinner, but no one thought to make reservations. We were kids, we didn't know any better. After trying five or six different restaurants and not getting a table we gave up and went to McDonalds. It would have been a lovely funny memory if I'd really liked the guy, but I didn't and so I just thought it was another lame attempt by a guy I couldn't figure out how to break up with. Come to think of it, he was the last guy I dated that ever even tried to do something sweet and romantic. Maybe I should have held on to him.

[Hank Phillippi Ryan]

KD, you're so right. That might have been a funny story you'd tell to your grandchildren, and celebrate by getting Big MAcs.

Speaking of Big Macs. The blood pressure in one of my arms is higher than the other. Is this weird?

[Rochelle Staab]

Philadelphia Story is on my Top 5 Most Favorite Movie list but Sleepless In Seattle is my movie for Valentine's Day - remember how the Empire State Building lights up with a big red heart? Sigh. Love that.

Valentine's Day is the day before my b'day. The events mush together for me. As a kid I always had the pink heart-shaped birthday cake and red/white/pink balloons to celebrate. This V-Day I will toast a piece or two of chocolate to loves lost and love ahead.

Memories? The V-day/B-day combo meant a lot of pressure for my exes. I think they tried, I think some did well, but there has never been the one memorable Valentine's Day that took my breath away or knocked my socks off.

But I still adore everything pink in February.

[Harley]

Hank, you get to pick whichever arm's number you like best. There. Happy Valentine's Day, a week early.

[Hank Phillippi Ryan]

OOH, Rochelle. Your socks are still vulnerable (!) to coming off, then! Hurray.

[Cinema Dave]

This was always a dreaded "holiday" for me.
I've got a lot of stories of working extra hours to send flowers, only to receive a response,
"YOU SENT THEM?!"

This was usually the time that I received my "Dear John" notice.

[Al_S]

The worst Valentine's day for me would be all of the ones before I got married. Then I met the girl who was different from every other girl I'd dated. She liked me (borrowed that from today's Garfield.) My favorite would be our first one together.

Last year as a part of a barbershop quartet I participated in delivering singing valentines. If we were singing to a woman and her eyes started misting over I would almost lose it and could barely get the notes out. That was quite an experience.

[Harley]

Al, you big softie!

[Hank Phillippi Ryan]

Awww...Al..

[Becky Hutchison]

Al, that's so sweet...

Okay, Hank. I'm a little romantic, but my dear, sweet husband isn't. He's a wonderful guy, a great father and does the laundry better than I ever could. So I'll keep him anyway.

[Pam aka SisterZip]

Dear Hubby gets off easy. I don't like cut flowers, partly due to allergies, but I think it is a waste of money. All I have ever wanted was a card. One year, having been bitched at for 5 years, he grabs me and says, "Let's go!" I thought oh, boy, don'thave to cook! but no. He parked me on a bench outside the cardstore, went in and bought my card. Handed me the bag and said, "Happy Valentine's Day. Whats for dinner?"

He didn't not get dinner (or lucky) that night.

[storyteller Mary]

One year the community theater group offered singing Valentine's to support their production of KISS ME KATE. I arranged for them to visit my Shakespeare class, in costume, to sing "Brush Up Your Shakespeare" (cleaned up a bit for school) and "I Hate Men." They brought Hershey kisses and posed for photos with the class. Very nice! . . . wonder what I ever did with that photo . . .
Personal experiences with Valentine's Day . . . not quite so wonderful . . .

[Amy]

I actually really like Russell Stover (and Whitman's) chocolates. Godiva is a chain at the mall, so it's hardly in the league of elite. But I like Godiva, too. It's just more fun being able to eat most of the box of Russell Stovers and know it only cost $7 at Walgreen's instead of $40 at Godiva. That price tag is hard to swallow.

We tended to ignore Valentine's Day until after one year our younger daughter made Valentines for everyone, and no one had anything for her because we just didn't do Valentine's Day. She was awfully disappointed, and we have to do something these days, even if it's little.

[storyteller Mary]

I just finished AIR TIME (only one more to go, so please write some more, Hank). So much good suspense that I couldn't sleep until all was safe, but when Charlie said the rest could wait until "Tomorrow" I turned off the light and let the last bit wait for morning -- too bad, though, no Josh at my house . . .
I will say, though, for the record, that no one needs to buy me a purse costing thousands . . . I'm happy with my "Haha, Aha, Aah, Amen" storytelling book bag from Elizabeth Ellis . . ;-)

[Hank Phillippi Ryan]

Storyteller Mary! Oh, my goodness, thank you! And especially lovely, coming from you--since you are the quintessential teller of stories! (I love Josh, too...thank you!)

And as for your Valentines memories..we will ALL KOW TOW!

[Harley]

Come to think of it, we're all a bunch of softies.

[Laraine]

I'm chiming in late, enjoying the practicality and realism of this lovely group.
Speaking as someone who is single, nope, the flowers, candy and excessively expensive and difficult-to-get restaurant reservations/meal are not for me. I would, however, love to have a guy who wants to do something for Valentine's evening that includes some relaxed time together! Maybe a slightly special home-cooked meal, or Netflix or some other break in the work/sleep routine.
Not to say that I'd hate it if he made some small, sentimental gesture . . . one or two well-selected candy hearts with a cute or funny message would be fine, and I'm guessing I'd probably get him a card, 'cause I wouldn't be able to resist.

[Online Jobs in India]

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