Judy Leaver, Professional Writer | Best Words, Best Order

Archive for February, 2011

Literary Mileage
Roses are Red, Violets are Blue

Monday, February 14th, 2011

I admit it. Over the years, I have grown cynical about romance and, consequently, Valentine’s Day. From such cynicism, it wasn’t a big leap to tell myself that Valentine’s Day is the commercial creation of the greeting card industry. I write today to apologize for my grumpiness (and my ignorance).

Wikipedia reports that the day is actually Saint Valentine’s Day, named for an early Christian martyr about 500 AD, celebrating “love and affection between intimate companions.” It was deleted from the Roman calendar of saints in 1969 by Pope Paul VI, but its religious observance is still permitted.

The day first became associated with romantic love in the Middle Ages. People used to write notes to friends and loved ones by hand. The oldest known Valentine card, from the 1400s, is on display at the British Museum. Esther A. Howland produced the first commercial Valentine’s Day cards in the U.S. in the 1840s.

According to the Greeting Card Association, an estimated one billion valentine cards are sent each year, second only to Christmas.

Women buy 85% of them. Hmmm…(refer to first paragraph).

Nevertheless, warm Valentine Greetings from Florida to friends, lovers, and family!

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