Valentine’s Day gets a bad rap! Some classify it as a “Greeting Card Store Holiday”, others think it’s just for two people in love, but it can be so much more!!! From the time I was little, I loved Valentine’s Day! It gave me the opportunity to create my own hand-made Valentine’s to give to everyone in my life that I loved and was grateful for! It is a day designated to have an excuse, if you will, to share Light, Kindness, and Friendship!

I would begin planning my Valentine’s out right after Christmas. Back then we didn’t have scrapbook paper and fancy trims, we either bought them pre-printed in a box, or we made them by hand. I always preferred to make mine, and that generally included a lot of construction paper (our version of cheap scrapbook paper), lots of ribbon, Scotch Tape, Elmer’s glue and paste. By the way, the Scotch Tape back then had the most wonderful smell!!! Sadly, it doesn’t smell that way anymore – probably causes cancer or something . . . 

Not only did I look forward to designing and making my own Valentine’s, I also LOVED making my Valentine Box for school. We were given a list of every child in our class, and were expected to bring a Valentine for everyone. The BEST one’s had candy in them – usually the nasty tasting conversation hearts – but still a highlight nonetheless! Some years I got to include candy with mine, and other years it was just up to me to come up with something on my own to hand out. No matter what I gave each year, I gave it with my whole heart!!! As an adult, not much has changed. I STILL look forward to Valentine’s Day every year. And now I actually start planning well before Christmas, especially because of the Covid supply chain issues, it’s harder to get all the things you need to complete your projects.

A few years ago, I discovered the most amazing candy! “Sweet Petite Sour Hearts” made by Jelly Belly – the Jelly Bean Company. I’m actually a candy connoisseur – especially the gummy kind, or the chalky “Bottle Caps” kind. Chocolate is always good too, but it can’t be waxy, it has to be the good stuff. “Sweet Petite Sour Hearts” are one of my most favorites. You must try them, and then see if you can discern what flavor they are. You will be surprised when you figure it out, but once you do, it is obvious. They are the perfect tiny size, and come in a mixture of deep red, light pink, and creamy white – all the same flavor. Not too tart, and not too sweet, they are actually the perfect combination of both. At first they only made them for Valentine’s Day, but they became so popular they started offering them year round . . . until last year . . . Due to supply demands and not being able to get all the ingredients, it was announced “Sweet Petite Sour Hearts” would be discontinued. WHAT?!!!! I was SO sad!!! I’m pretty sure Jelly Belly had a revolution on their hands of upset and distressed customers, because just after Christmas I received an email that they were in stock again. Each time I jumped online to buy them, they were already sold out! After three of those failed attempts, I was FINALLY able to find them, and so I promptly ordered 15 pounds!!! I figured if this was possibly the last year, I wanted to have a supply!

Last year I put them in cute heart shaped bottles, tied up with all my signature ribbons, bows, and personalized tags. This year I did a mixture of gold heart shaped tin boxes with a clear window in the lid, and little plastic test tubes with a screw-on lid for my Primary kids that I teach in our church. Both of these included the ribbons, bows, and personalized tags.

Designing and creating these mini works of art to give to those who mean so much to me is a bucket filler! There’s nothing like seeing someone’s face light up when they know you have purposely taken time to think of them, and made an extra effort to let them know you care! Life is hard, and we never know what trials and struggles those around us may be secretly enduring.

Giving someone a hand-made item shows you care enough about them to give not just a gift, but more importantly, your time. Time is one of the most precious things we have on this earth, because once it’s spent, we can’t ever get it back. Spending time to help brighten someone’s day is one of the BEST things we can do for someone. To me, time given = LIGHT! We get 24 precious hours each day, it is a gift!!! What we choose to do with that gift defines who we are, and what is important to us. So whatever we do, may we look for opportunities to GIVE FREELY of our time and talents, as we share our LIGHT serving others. In the end, it’s not about WHAT you give, it’s ALL about WHY you give.

Make Valentine’s Day more than a “Greeting Card Store Holiday”. Go crazy with the construction paper, ribbon, and Elmer’s glue – add some candy if you like. But most of all, try to include everyone in your life – even those who are a little “prickly”.

Who knows, they may be the ones who need that hand-made paper heart the most! If you’re lucky, you might even find some “Sweet Petite Sour Hearts”.

Love Ya, Les

Create

Valentine’s Day, An Opportunity To Be Grateful For Everyone In Our Lives