This is a post I did a couple of Valentine’s Days ago, but I love it, and it still holds true for me. In fact, it’s become a tradition for me to re-post it every February. I hope it inspires you to rethink February 14!!!
Okay, many of us have strong feelings about Valentine’s Day – love it… hate it… consider it a cynical plot by the flower and chocolate syndicates to force us to buy bon bons and roses…
Me? I LOVE IT…. and in a minute, I’ll tell you why.

- karen leonard photography with tinyprints
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But first, what is the story with Valentine’s Day? Is it the cynical fabrication of American Greetings? Actually, no!
Although it’s not entirely clear how or why it began, the exchange of love letters on the feast of St. Valentine seems to be a tradition that is traced back to 14th century England – and possibly has links to pagan traditions of Ancient Rome. My cursory googling yielded, among other things, a convoluted discussion of the history of the day on wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentine’s_Day.
Creating and delivering love letters or “valentines” really took off in Victorian England. I sort of love the idea that the Valentine’s Day we know sprang out of the oppressively buttoned-up culture of Victorian England. All that yearning and romanticism!
What makes it a drag is that it was commercialized in America, apparently around the mid-19th century. The greeting card powers descended and well…here we are! All that commercialism creates another drag which is, if you have a sweetheart, the pressure to make some grand gesture of love, and if you don’t have a sweetheart, well just the stark reminder that you don’t have a sweetheart.
But here’s the thing, despite all of this, as I said, I LOVE Valentine’s Day.
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Regardless of how it began, or how it’s exploited, what can be bad about a day dedicated to expressions of love, friendship, affection, and romance!? A day awash in red and purple and pink, sparkles and lace, and sugary treats — all in the middle of the bleakest time of the year!

- karen leonard photography with tinyprints
At its best, Valentine’s Day is about indulging in good things — showing the ones you love that you really do love them, telling them what makes them so special to you, making, sharing and receiving beautiful, delicious, precious tokens of that affection. Every card you make or buy is a little ritual of love and affection. Every sugar heart (“U R SWEET”) you slip to someone sparks a bit of delight in the middle of cold, dark winter. Sure, we should be doing this every day, but do we??
So, I plan on lavishing some extra love on my friends and family this Valentine’s Day. And relishing this brief interlude of electric pink, delicious treats, luscious flowers, warm kisses and giant hugs as winter plods on…!











































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