Valentine’s Throughout The Years

We did it all, and we didn’t do too bad for a couple that doesn’t think too highly about Valentine’s Day to begin with. Just like so many, we are fully aware that chocolates or flowers are no assurance for everlasting love, still, we celebrated it like everybody else, perhaps sometimes a bit differently.

We tried it all and come to find out there are no rules.

One Valentine’s Day, many years ago, my husband went overboard. He showed up at my work, handed me a miniature rose plant. “I thought you might want to have a Valentine’s on your desk as well and not just at home,” and so I got twice flowers that year, which I always thought was super sweet.

Over the years, we exchanged balloons and cookies, we tried ice cream cakes and chocolate creations. We ate pralines and truffles, unwrapped chocolate hearts, and all the other special Valentine’s candy they come up with.

One year he surprised me with long stem roses in a white, shiny box, just like in the movies. A small jewelry box was attached, a pendant representing our past, the present, and our future, showed me his love -or perhaps it just revealed that we were doing well enough to spend money on extra things like this. I wore the jewelry for almost twenty years.

I made cupcakes and baked heart-shaped compositions, which were not always easy to identify. We bought little silly stuffed animals, which too often ended up being the dogs chew toys in the end and they enjoyed it a lot.

My husband came home with an edible arrangement when they were new on the market. I scolded him for spending so much money and kissed him, we both ate fruits all night long and got our chocolate fix, and extra vitamins as well.

Of all the presents and surprises, only one very special stuffed ape and a gigantic hedgehog to this day still can be found sitting on a chair in our bedrooms.

Of course, my husband has boxer shorts with hearts on them, even though he normally doesn’t wear boxers, and I could confess that I had one or two special items of lingerie as well, but that’s not something you share, so I won’t admit it.

The silliness of love in all its beauty. We have spent a fortune on Valentine’s cards, most of them made their way into my card-keepsake box, which one day one of us will open and read -most likely while missing the other one.

One year we joined other couples for an overprices Valentine’s lunch in our favorite restaurant. A four-course menu, which neither one of us can recall, but we remember we promised each other to never do something like THAT again. It wasn’t worth the money, but the Champagne and the laughter were great.

When our life changed, and we didn’t have the money for extra things, we waited a few days and bought cheap candy a few days after Valentine’s Day. Turns out it tastes just the same, perhaps even better. Nothing was ever more fun than the night when my husband came home with the two marked-down gigantic praline boxes, both heart-shaped, and filled with chocolates by a well-known company.

We carefully unwrapped the box, read the piece of paper describing the pralines like we were studying for an exam, and tried all of them the same night until there was nothing left. We both were sick the next day -and happy.

Today when I made the beds I looked at the hedgehog and smiled. It had looked so much smaller online when I had placed the grocery order. I got a good laugh when I opened the door to get the food inside. An Aldi special I will remember!

Perhaps Valentine’s Day is for making memories. How we chuckled that year when I told him his Valentine’s cake was in the trashcan because I had tried to write with icing on a warm cake or the giggles over the Valentine’s card that had been shredded to pieces by a 10-month-old shepherd mix. I handed him the card pieces in an extra envelope, with Greetings from the dogs.

Maybe it’s not about flowers or candy, but about the laughter when your husband wears the silliest boxers just because he loves you, or you eat the hazelnut pralines you hated already as a child but you don’t dare to disappoint him because he surprised you with European candy.

We had fun and will continue to have joy on Valentine’s day. This year we will JUST exchange cards as far as I know. He is not at home yet, so there is no telling for sure.

Life is full of ordinary days, it’s up to us if we create memories or not. It sure is entertaining when you look back after 30+ years and you can’t help but smile.

Happy Valentine’s to all of you -and if you are single, love yourself. You deserve it.