“Of course, I got all excited and bought each of the girls a basket and filled it with goodies! A book, play-doh, pencils, stamps, and refills for their label makers were several of the items in their Valentine’s day baskets!”
Mom, February 14th, 2005
“From there they moved on to balloons. Yes, balloons. You would think these kids had never seen helium balloons before. I believe they played with them the rest of the day which was fine until they brought them home. Within ten minutes I was on the verge of popping them!!“
Mom, February 14th, 2007
February 14, 2023
The sad truth is: I’ve been alive for 24 Valentine’s Days and I’ve never had a true Valentine on a single one of them. But, for some reason, I’ve still always loved the holiday. Maybe it’s all the different shades of pinks, or maybe it’s because it feels like the unofficial start of springtime (even though it’s still very much in the heart of winter), or maybe it’s because Mom used to also love this holiday, and always put me, Taylor, and Riley Mae together baskets full of goodies.
Whatever the reason: I love it.
When my sisters and I were small, Mom would sew us all matching valentine dresses, and we’d exchange valentines with our cousins and close friends, usually by putting them in special little “valentines mailboxes” that we made, just for the occasion. We’d make “love bugs” out of yarn and pom-poms and coiled pink pipecleaners, and eat candy hearts and heart-shaped pizzas.
Now that I’m older, and those youthful traditions are gone, the answer is yes, I’ve ended up depressed at the end of more than one of these cold February 14th holidays. After scrolling through 5,349 photos of couples on Instagram, you kinda reach your limit. But I always try to make the most of the day. I make sweet cards for my friends, or buy flowers for my family, and I always dress in some kind of red/pink/white outfit.
This year was a bit different though, because the rest of the family decided to celebrate with me, for the first time in…15 years? Mom made a cake, I decorated it (FYI: beet juice makes a perfect pink food dye!), Taylor came over for dinner, and we all exchanged small gifts.
Of course, I went all out, and might’ve taken the tradition of baskets of goodies upon myself. Any excuse to give gifts to my family is one that I leap on (I would be rich by now if I didn’t spend all my money on these four people). I found these cute metal tins for $1 each, and painted a design on each, and then filled them with small gifts that fit into three categories: cute, useful, or delicious. Hair accessories, garden seeds, organic cotton shorts (found brand-new at the thriftshop for $6 each!), dried fruit, and favorite-song keychains…they were full and festive 🌹💕
I like to think that the good lord had us celebrate this Valentine’s Day to mark the last February 14th that I spend single, but alas, we do not yet know what the next 365 days hold for me. We all have our fingers (and toes) crossed, though!
art by jordan rae 