Happy Valentines Day - Tidbits of This and That

The oh so famous words for Valentines Day. What is the history of Valentines Day?

From Wikipeda:

 Saint Valentine's Day (commonly shortened to Valentine's Day) is an annual holiday held on February 14 celebrating love andaffection between intimate companions. The holiday is named after one or more early Christian martyrs named Valentine and was established by Pope Gelasius I in 496 AD. It is traditionally a day on which lovers express their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery, and sending greeting cards (known as "valentines"). The holiday first became associated with romantic love in the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the High Middle Ages, when the tradition of courtly love flourished.

From About.com - interesting facts about conversation hearts:

Conversation Hearts

• About 8 billion hearts will be produced this year; that’s enough candy to stretch from Rome, Italy to Valentine, Arizona 20 times and back again.
• The peak selling season for conversation hearts last only six weeks, but confectioners produce the candy for nearly eleven months of the year.
• At least 10 new conversation heart sayings are introduced each year. Recent additions include "Yeah Right", "Call Home" and "Puppy Love."
• Each year the television game show JEOPARDY! includes questions about conversation hearts on its Valentine's Day show.

Trivia and Tidbits

• More than 36 million heart-shaped boxes of chocolate will be sold for Valentine's Day.
• American men say they’d prefer to receive boxed chocolate as a Valentine’s Day present followed by gourmet, high-end chocolates then conversation heart candies.
• A majority of men (53 percent) admit that they lean on friends and family to find the perfect present for their sweetheart while 11 percent look to co-workers, 10 percent ask the cashier and 7 percent consult the World Wide Web.
• Even if they don’t make the final purchases until the last few days, the majority of men (75%) testify that they plan ahead for Valentine’s Day.
• When it comes to present time, women prefer a gift after a nice dinner, while most men prefer gifts first thing in the morning.
• American men and women agree that the most romantic place to share candy is in front of the fireplace.
• On average, men shell out $130 each on candy, cards, jewelry, flowers and dates. That’s more than double what women commit to spending.
• Children receive 39 percent of all Valentine’s Day candy and gifts. Following them are wives/mothers (36 percent), fathers/husbands (6 percent), grandparents (3 percent), and pets (1 percent).

From Infoplease.com : Valentine Cards

Tradition of Valentine's Cards

Over the centuries, the holiday evolved, and by the 18th century, gift-giving and exchanging hand-made cards on Valentine's Day had become common in England. Hand-made valentine cards made of lace, ribbons, and featuring cupids and hearts eventually spread to the American colonies. The tradition of Valentine's cards did not become widespread in the United States, however, until the 1850s, when Esther A. Howland, a Mount Holyoke graduate and native of Worcester, Mass., began mass-producing them. Today, of course, the holiday has become a booming commercial success. According to the Greeting Card Association, 25% of all cards sent each year are valentines.

A fun word scramble:

Please unscramble the words below

1. dCayn 2. cCelhotao 3. arseht 4. leov 5. eteatrsewh 6. racd 7. nntaelieV 8. wrefosl 9. scuhreb 10. Feybruar 11. mniebe 12. htsreaetwe

My sons going to Grandmas today so I have the whole day to catch up on some reading if my migraine goes away.  No plans for tomorrow. We'll probably just stay home and watch movies . Do you have any special plans?

Happy Valentines Day!!