Valentine's Day - Past and Present
I took the list home and my mother counted the names. She determined that I needed two boxes of cards. These were small, one-sided pictures of a naked baby with wings, hearts, little white girls holding flowers, and little white boys holding a heart-shaped box of something. These were not your Hallmark cards here.
In 1957, there were no cards that portrayed African-American children (like Lorraine). And, we were supposed to give these same, mushy, girly cards to boys, too.
"Dear Ed, Will you be my Valentine?" No, that ain't gonna happen.
As instructed by Miss Rider, I meticulously wrote the envelopes to everyone in class. My next task was to pick the right card to go in the envelope, picking the lesser of the evils for my best friends, and purposely did not sign my name on the back of Lorraine and Blanche's card. I did NOT want to be their Valentine, nor did I want them to get the wrong idea. I wrote my friend's name on those. Let Terry deal with it.
So, every year in grade school, we had to go through this mandatory ritual of sending Valentines to kids we did not particularly like and to teachers that fell into that same category. You were forced by peer-pressure to give a bigger Valentine to your teacher. This madness stopped by the time we hit 7th grade.
I only had two girlfriends in my entire grade school years; Joyce in kindergarten, and Beverly. Everyone loved Beverly. She had a pack of boys that walked her home every day. We bought her rings (ten cents) and other trinkets. In high school, Beverly showed me her ring collection that she had saved since grade school. She had hundreds! Basically, I had no chance. She liked one of my best friends, Jim. Oh, well, I could always live vicariously through Jim.
Valentine's Day became more serious in high school when you were in a relationship. You actually had to buy them something nice, such as a charm for their charm bracelet or a necklace. A card, even a Hallmark card, isn't going to cut it. This meant you had to plan in advance, save your money, and actually go shopping. Gifts to girls had to be wrapped. They could not be presented in the store bag with the receipt inside so she would know how much you spent. In guy-thought, the amount of money spent is equal to the amount of love you had to offer. A carefully orchestrated gift could really pay off big time. Of course, there was always one guy in class the really spent some money on his girlfriend. She would walk around showing off her Valentine's gift, making us feel like mindless cheap-skates.
As I am writing this Blog, I have to admit that I have not even thought about Valentine's Day for my wife of 25 years. She already gave me "one of my gifts" last week when I was complaining that I had nothing good to read. She gave me a John Grisham novel she bought at Costco. I pretended to be excited, but I am not a big fan of reading lawyer books. I get too ticked off. It is sitting on my bedside stand, but I really don't want to read it. Buying a book for someone is very personal and you really have to know what the person likes to read. Apparently, my wife is clueless in that department. Maybe I will buy her a dress! That'll teach her.
So, I haven't bought anything yet. Taking her out to dinner and a romantic movie (chick flick) is a tried and true Valentine's gift. She loves good wine. So, a nice meal, lots of wine, a good love story, and she will definitely be in the mood for the final gift of the evening. Enough said about that. She would love if I took her dancing, but I absolutely hate dancing. I was born seriously rhythm-impaired, so I am not permitted on the dance floor.
Flowers are nice, but way too expensive for what you get. Technology really helps last minute partners since we can order bouquets on-line. Jewelry is always a good stand-by but again, we have differing tastes, but perhaps I will check eBay anyway. I once bought her a pair of earrings that were actually little ears! She never wore them.
I do have to find a nice card and write something in it (other than my name). Since my brother recently retired from Hallmark after 30 plus years, purchasing an expensive card helps to support his pension plan. They have some new cards that play music and my wife loves those commercials. She will cry even if I describe a Hallmark commercial. It would not be considered romantic to just send her an e-mail love letter. Besides, she is not a person that even opens her e-mails more than once a week. E-cards are definitely out the question, too. In the past, I have made her a card with Photoshop and she liked it.
What else could I do to show my love and appreciation? I could get her a tree to plant in the yard, but I will end up digging the hole, so that is out. I could do that dishes, make the bed, run the vacuum, and pick up my junk (this term refers to anything that is mine) that day. She may really like that, but of course, that would set a bad precedent.
I do love my wife. We have made it all of these years; through thick and thin (What does that means?) We have successfully reared five children to adulthood and they are doing much better than our friend's adult kids, some of which are still living at home. We have a nice house and drive nice cars. We basically have everything that we need. So, why then, do I have to go buy her a gift for Valentine's Day? 'Cause I love her and she will be mad if I don't.
Related Topics: Technorati Tags: Valentines, love, romance, health
1 Comments:
I can't believe you remember so many details about Valentine's Day in your teacher's class. It was funny to read. My husband and I don't celebrate Valentine's Day -- never have and it doesn't bother either of us. Think of all the money we saved over our 11 year marriage :) Try telling your wife that your love for her can't be expressed in just one day and that she's your sweetest love every day. Maybe that will save you some grief next year :)
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