Hearts and Flowers from the REDS

DEBORAH CROMBIE: My granddaughter Wren is in kindergarten (gosh, how time flies! I can hardly believe it…) so this is her first class Valentine's Day and she is prepared. Are these not the cutest things ever?

Looking at these took me back to making valentines in my grade school classes. Who else remembers cutting out hearts from red construction paper, then from white lace paper doilies and painstakingly gluing them together? And adding glitter! Then we were given paper muffin cups filled with conversation hearts. I don't think they actually taste like much of anything but they definitely say Valentine's Day to me!

I don't remember Valentine's Day being so commercialized back in that dim and distant past. These days it seems to be all about getting people to buy everything from diamonds to new cars, and making people who aren't part of a couple feel left out. But according to Catholic.org, St. Valentine is not only the patron saint of love and engaged and married couples, but also of beekeepers (I love that!), epilepsy, fainting, greetings, travelers, young people, and plague! I think that covers just about everything, especially in this year of Omicron.

I am hereby casting my vote for an inclusive Valentine's Day, a day to tell our friends how much we appreciate them. I used to have a big box of wonderful reproduction Victorian valentines and I would send them to my friends every year–maybe it's time to reinstate that tradition. 

What do you say, dear REDs? 

RHYS BOWEN:  Having attended a girl’s school there were no valentines. But I do remember my first, sent by my first real boyfriend. I was so excited! But I certainly participated in the creation of many paper and doily valentines for my kids. I’m amazed how commercial it has become. The houses around me are decorated with hearts or even red lights. And all the ads for jewelry! My own valentine story. When we bought our first condo in Arizona John bought me a dollar store bunch of roses plus a small balloon. He has brought it out every year since! Still going strong. Now if only he could get the day right!

HALLIE EPHRON: I remember sitting out in our backyard and cutting up doilies and colored paper and making valentines. LOTS of them. And I gave them to girls AND boys. I don’t remember *getting* valentines so much until I met my husband, and from Day One he gave me hand-drawn valentine every year. I, who never save anything, have all 52 of them. The first one is of us and our two cats, Soot and Eloise. We got married that June. 

DEBS: Aw, Hallie, Jerry's cartoons are such a treasure. We are all sending you big hugs.

JENN McKINLAY: Aw, I love that, Hallie. 

I’m not a big Valentine’s Day  person but I absolutely remember making Valentines in school with red and pink construction paper and doilies and glitter. I still love glitter!

And I remember exchanging cards with classmates - everyone gave them out to everyone in the class - very inclusive. 

Unsurprisingly, my favorite part of Valentine cards are the puns - Bee Mine with a big old honey bee holding a heart. LOL.  And, of course, any day that is an excuse to buy copious amounts of candy for yourself or others is a great day in my book. 

LUCY BURDETTE: Aww, Hallie, very hard to have a first Valentine’s day without your sweetheart. Luckily, we are all your valentines!

John proposed on Valentine’s day in 1992, and we were married in May. So now going on 30 years–who even imagined? I think I made cards way back in the day. But I most remember the little flat cards you bought in a big pack. My father sent them to us for years, signing them love,  4-1-4 (secret code for D-A-D.)

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: I remember those big packs of valentines that you had to punch out the cardboard, and then put into envelopes that juuuuust barely fit. And there was a special one for the teacher. I always had fun punching them out, but after that, I was not that enthusiastic. I remember in college, the BIG deal was whether a boy sent you roses. A college experience I never had, I might add. 

Truth be told, the only thing I like about Valentine's Day is those little hearts with sayings. Otherwise, I think it’s kind of fraught and too competitive and too much pressure. And too easy a place to consider yourself a "failure" because something didn't happen on a certain day that "they" say should happen.

Also, as a reporter, I have done too many stories about the incredible price gouging for roses. Bad unhealthy roses.

(Am I too cynical?) 

DEBS: No, you're not, Hank. Valentine's flowers are pretty horrible, and this is the only week that I never buy flowers at Trader Joe's. They are double the price! And we would never go out to dinner on V-Day. I usually try to make something nice, but tonight we may end up with pizza.

Anything would be a vast improvement over Valentine's Day last year, the first day of the Texas Snowmaggedon. We still had power but it would go out in the early hours of the 15th and stay off for three days. Rick says now that those days we spent huddled by the fire together were kind of romantic. Maybe in retrospect!

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: Debs, in Maine we find huddling by the fire romantic out of necessity. Seriously, Ross used to think it was very sexy when I was swathed neck to ankle in flannel. He was a dashing Valentine’s gift-giver when we were dating. Best one ever: a GWU acapella group was doing singing valentines as a fund raiser, and I was surprised on campus by a trio serenading me with “My Girl” by The Temptations. I still swoon a little when I hear that song.

Once we were married, I was not that big a fan of the traditional gesture. The flowers are overpriced (and often die quickly,) it’s hard to get a decent reservation, and I know we can pick up that box of chocolates for 50% off on February 15, so let’s do that instead. It’s amazing what a mental turn-around you can have once his money becomes our money!

Still… that first February 14th without him was hard. Hallie, long-distance hugs, and here’s wishing you a lovely Zoom Valentines with the grandkids. 

DEBS: How about you, dear readers? Any special Valentine's Day plans?

Wishing you a happy one from the REDS!

P.S. I have to wonder who Wren gave the valentine with the scorpion to....