When did Valentines Day Begin to Start the Day after Christmas?
Alice Aspen March
February 09, 2009
The day the Christmas decorations came down in shopping places, I noticed that the Valentineīs Day season arrived. I was amused, shocked and dismayed. We went from December 26th to February 14th in the blink of an eye. No wonder time seems to be going so fast!
We hardly have time to recover from the emotional roller coaster of the end-ofthe-year holidays, before weīve got to confront the most loaded holiday of all. Itīs the Holiday of Love, when people feel loved or unloved, both highly emotional states. I remember when I first became aware of that day and started to celebrate it. It was in the early grades at Elementary School for me. My mother and I bought books of Valentine cards which we tore out and put into envelopes which we addressed to everyone of my classmates. That was most important, as I did not want to leave anyone out. I think there were doubles of some cards, so I chose the ones I particularly liked for the kids I particularly liked!
Then came the sixth grade which brought more emotions to that day. I didnīt give out Valentines to everyone, nor did anyone else. We had special friends, most of whom were my girl friends at that age. I think the beginnings of any romantic attachments arrived in the eighth grade for me; I had a beau from my neighborhood. His name, which I still remember, was Jerry Levin. Oh my I probably thought long and hard about what card to give him and probably was thrilled, when I received his. I donīt remember receiving anything else.
That was many moons ago and many emotions ago. Today, thereīs much more attached to that day, for itīs become a larger-than-life commercial event. Youīre either in or out: itīs either going to be a high-level romantic day or itīs not. Restaurants start advertising for specially designed romantic dinners weeks before. Commercials are all over our media, television, magazines and on the Internet advertising flowers, candy, jewelry and abundant extravagant gifts to please your partner, boyfriend, girlfriend, wife husband and or kids. There probably are gifts for pets, as well. To give the perfect gift requires paying attention to the receiver, to what really matters to them.
This is the day we can choose to take a "love-inventory!" We can think about those we love and why. We can choose to feel loved and why. We can choose to feel unloved and do something about that. We can choose to know that love is all about attention, how we give it, to whom we give it and how we get it. We can choose to take action on all fronts. Telling someone that we love them is vital in all our relationships. It is more than vital for us to do something that makes people feel loved! I believe, too, that to be truly healthy we have to consciously love people, pets, our work, and ourselves! Loving certainly feels good, gives us more energy and connects us to each other and supports our self-esteem.
I guess you could call Valentineīs Day a day for attention-giving, a day when people make up for all the other days when they didnīt give enough attention to the people they love. Attention is really not a one day event. Attention is a major part of our lives 24/7, forever. Positive attention is a gift that keeps on giving and doesnīt have to cost anything. Thatīs the magic of it. I once heard an Industry lawyer share the story of how his wifeīs really listening to him made him feel better than a Hawaii vacation. Thatīs a pretty powerful admission. People thrive on being listened to, being heard. I think thatīs one form of attention that triumphs over hearts and flowers any time. Try it this year. Start with yourself and listen to your heart and your intuition. You may be surprised and you may surprise the people you truly care about.
We hardly have time to recover from the emotional roller coaster of the end-ofthe-year holidays, before weīve got to confront the most loaded holiday of all. Itīs the Holiday of Love, when people feel loved or unloved, both highly emotional states. I remember when I first became aware of that day and started to celebrate it. It was in the early grades at Elementary School for me. My mother and I bought books of Valentine cards which we tore out and put into envelopes which we addressed to everyone of my classmates. That was most important, as I did not want to leave anyone out. I think there were doubles of some cards, so I chose the ones I particularly liked for the kids I particularly liked!
Then came the sixth grade which brought more emotions to that day. I didnīt give out Valentines to everyone, nor did anyone else. We had special friends, most of whom were my girl friends at that age. I think the beginnings of any romantic attachments arrived in the eighth grade for me; I had a beau from my neighborhood. His name, which I still remember, was Jerry Levin. Oh my I probably thought long and hard about what card to give him and probably was thrilled, when I received his. I donīt remember receiving anything else.
That was many moons ago and many emotions ago. Today, thereīs much more attached to that day, for itīs become a larger-than-life commercial event. Youīre either in or out: itīs either going to be a high-level romantic day or itīs not. Restaurants start advertising for specially designed romantic dinners weeks before. Commercials are all over our media, television, magazines and on the Internet advertising flowers, candy, jewelry and abundant extravagant gifts to please your partner, boyfriend, girlfriend, wife husband and or kids. There probably are gifts for pets, as well. To give the perfect gift requires paying attention to the receiver, to what really matters to them.
This is the day we can choose to take a "love-inventory!" We can think about those we love and why. We can choose to feel loved and why. We can choose to feel unloved and do something about that. We can choose to know that love is all about attention, how we give it, to whom we give it and how we get it. We can choose to take action on all fronts. Telling someone that we love them is vital in all our relationships. It is more than vital for us to do something that makes people feel loved! I believe, too, that to be truly healthy we have to consciously love people, pets, our work, and ourselves! Loving certainly feels good, gives us more energy and connects us to each other and supports our self-esteem.
I guess you could call Valentineīs Day a day for attention-giving, a day when people make up for all the other days when they didnīt give enough attention to the people they love. Attention is really not a one day event. Attention is a major part of our lives 24/7, forever. Positive attention is a gift that keeps on giving and doesnīt have to cost anything. Thatīs the magic of it. I once heard an Industry lawyer share the story of how his wifeīs really listening to him made him feel better than a Hawaii vacation. Thatīs a pretty powerful admission. People thrive on being listened to, being heard. I think thatīs one form of attention that triumphs over hearts and flowers any time. Try it this year. Start with yourself and listen to your heart and your intuition. You may be surprised and you may surprise the people you truly care about.
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