Mysteries of Valentine's Day Unravelled

Still departing from my usual blogs, I know! I promise I have something really good up my sleeve! In the mean time it is SNOWING here again. Imagine that, two times and it's not even April yet. Not even my birthday yet, which is Tuesday BTW. Which is also Mardi Gras. Really want some King's Cake. Yummers! Any way, this is the Valentine's Day article I wrote today. Of course it is the first draft. I am thinking that I will also submit some of my poetry/ song lyrics next week. Especially if I could find "This Winter's Our Discontent". I love that poem/ song. Anybody know of any one who wants a song writer? SOME people don't like to mix business with pleasure and A.) refuse my song lyrics and B.) refuse my awesome band names (No Not Chubby Bunny). Any who, here is my V-Day article. Hope everyone has a great V-Day, President's Day, and enjoys the first few days of the Winter Olympics!

The history of Valentine’s Day is steeped in mystery. Some say Valentine performed secret marriages after Emperor Claudius II outlawed marriage to make “better soldiers”. Others claim that Valentine’s Day started when Valentine fell in love with his jailer’s daughter and sent her a letter signed “your Valentine”. Still others claim that Valentine’s Day came about in an attempt to Christianize the pagan holiday of Lupercalia, celebrated to honor the Roman god of fertility and to honor the birth of Roman founders Romulus and Remus on February 15. What is it about this mysterious day in the middle of February that makes people buy candy and flowers, propose to their beloved, and even choose this most romantic of days to married their loved one?
Newlywed Melissa McClain, of Villa Rica, GA, says, “I think that, in our busy lives, we often lose sight of what means the most to us. So Valentine's Day, for all its commercially marketed chocolates and flowers, forces us to at least slow down for one day out of the year to really appreciate our spouse and loved ones.” According to a study done by WRAL in Raleigh, North Carolina, two-thirds of people asked said they would like to have a longer day, so they could accomplish more. Most would prefer an extra six hours in a day to do additional activities such as volunteer work or take care of children at home. The University of Pennsylvania informs their International students in it’s International Student Handbook, “Americans tend to organize their activities by means of schedules. As a result, they may seem hurried, running from one thing to the next, unable to relax and enjoy themselves. The pace of life may seem very rushed at first. “
Slowing down to appreciate your loved ones on Valentine’s Day is a time honored tradition dating back to the Middle Ages. Americans began exchanging hand-made Valentines in the 1700’s. With cheaper postage rates and improved technology in printing, Valentine’s Day really exploded in the 1840’s, when Ester Howland first began to sell commercially produced Valentine’s Day cards with ribbons and lace. According to the Greeting Card Association, over one Valentine’s cards are sold each year. Women account for 85% of the Valentine’s Day merchandise sold annually. According to fifteen year old Rebecca Turner of Newnan, Georgia, “I made lots of cards for people!” Teachers are the most popular targets for cards, followed by children and mothers. Three percent of Americans will give their pets a Valentine’s Day card.
Going out to dinner remains a popular Valentine’s Day option. Full-service restaurants, who have been hit hard by the recession, saw sales hit 139.4 billion in 2009, down 6% from 2008. Restaurateurs are optimistic about 2010, though. Annika Stensson, a spokeswoman for The National Restaurant Association, said the weekend is shaping up to be a good one. An informal survey taken of Orange County dining spots show that most are booked for Valentine's Day weekend, with most of the reservations actually booked for Saturday, the day before Valentine‘s Day.
Flowers and candy are also popular gift ideas for Valentine’s Day. The per capita consumption of candy for Americans is 23.8 pounds. The combined wholesale value of domestically produced cut flowers in 2008 was $403 million for all flower-producing operations with $100,000 or more in sales. Fifteen percent of women send themselves flowers on Valentine’s Day, just to make themselves feel better or to appear that they are in a relationship. Combined, men spend an average of $130 on Valentine’s Day dates, with flowers, candy, cards, dinner, and jewelry. This is double what women spend. Matt Partain, 28, of Franklin, Georgia, states, “Its a sweet holiday meant for your loved one but like most other holidays it is all about the money and corporations market it as such.” Considering that consumers spend almost $450 billion on Valentines Day each year in total, it’s no wonder that many people share Matt’s opinion.
In fact, so many people fell this way that there is even an Anti-Valentine’s Day movement. And some singles feel so badly on Valentine’s Day that they have dubbed the holiday “Singles’ Awareness Day”. In 1969, Valentine’s Day was cancelled because it was viewed as an “orgy of consumerism”. As of 2002, 904 dating services were established nationwide, including internet dating services. These establishments employed nearly 4,300 people and pulled in $489 million in revenue. In 2008, EHarmony took a survey and discovered that 40% of the matches that had been made on their site around Valentine’s Day had broken up six months later. Up to 64% of men do not make plans with their sweethearts and, coincidentally, 53% of women in America would dump their boyfriend if they did not get them anything for Valentine’s Day. Still Valentine’s Day is one of the popular American holidays. Valentine’s Day is the third largest retail holiday. Says Thomasa Hickey, “There is a commercial on TV that I just love and laugh out loud when I see it every time. ... The one with the dog with false teeth. My Honey came home with flowers and a card with a picture on the front of a dog with false teeth! Its my favorite card ever because it tells me he does notice the things that make me happy!” And that’s what Valentine’s Day is really all about.
Whether you feel like Valentine’s Day is a cozy holiday to spend with your honey or a consumer nightmare, one thing is certain: Valentine’s Day is here to stay. Some gifts, no matter what day you receive them, are priceless. I think Shane Cammon put it best when he said, “I got the best Valentine's gift ever 3 years ago: a handsome baby boy!! Going forward I don't think I could ever top that feeling.”