Valentine's Day

I have never really been one to celebrate Valentine's Day, I always sort of thought about it as one of the many commercially driven holidays, used to inspire sales of chocolate, flowers, cards and gifts, boost restaurant numbers and bring about a rebirth of unworn "grad" dresses. So I was somewhat surprised to find myself looking forward to this year's Valentine's day. I have actually been thinking about it for weeks now. Perusing one of my favourite sites woojr.com for activities and crafts for my children and planning some baking.

I guess that in recent years, I have begun to look at Valentine's Day somewhat differently. In the midst of a year full of these out of control commercial holidays, one after the other. (Yesterday in the shops along side the Valentine's display, I saw the beginnings of the Easter display) I feel it is important to try and step back and try to take these celebrations back to their simplest meanings, and Valentine's is the celebration of love, and no one can argue with that. More love, bring it on.

This week we went to a small get together where our children exchange hand made Valentine cards and ate cupcakes, yesterday the girls and I walked back to Plenty and picked up some more chocolate, today we will try Corazon, a dark chocolate with the essence of vanilla and rose. I have also planned a nice dinner with my family and I will bake a cake, a chocolate one.

We began our morning with a family cuddle, all 6 of us in our big bed. There is a loving way to start your day. Then I made myself a coffee and climbed into a lavender bubbly tub and read a magazine. When I was done, I was treated to a breakfast of heart shaped pancakes.

Just now the children have shared some handmade Valentine's they made for us and each other. They are just so beautiful. I have now been converted to the beauty of Valentine's by finding the important meaning while not being sucked into a swirling vortex of unnecessary spending and gift buying, because really the best gift you can give is the gift of love and that cannot be bought. That and Valentine's Day is a wonderful excuse to eat more chocolate (though I have been unable to find out how chocolate made it's way into Valentine's Day).

A day of Love and Chocolate who could disagree with that.