Love & Kindness
/February is the month of Love. Many refer to Valentine’s Day as a “greeting card holiday”. Other’s think it’s only for lovers, and it can be a sad and lonely time if they are single. For some that may be true; however, isn’t it a beautiful excuse to show genuine love, concern, compassion, gratitude, love, kindness and friendship to those people in our lives who mean the world to us? February is the perfect time to express how we truly feel about friends and family.
For anyone who knows me well, you know how much I don’t like the color red. I don’t know why, it’s just not GREEN I guess! Or maybe it’s because it’s on the opposite side of the color wheel from green, but I do make a couple exceptions in my holiday décor for Christmas and Valentine’s Day. For Christmas you will definitely see more green than red – but there are some splashes of red here and there. And for Valentine’s Day you will see more pink than red, with a little minty green sprinkled in for good measure. But once again, there are bits and pieces of red mixed in.
My favorite emoji on my phone is the green heart. If you receive a text from me with green hearts, you know you are one of my favorite people! From the time I was little, one of my favorite crafts of the year has been to make handmade Valentine’s for my friends and family. I start planning months in advance, yes, even before Christmas! This year was no different. I was so sad that my favorite Jelly Belly Sweet Petite Sour Heart candies were discontinued last year because I love to include a fun and unique treat with my Valentines. This year I ordered some pretty, pale peachy pink, yummy candy from Sweden. Unfortunately it’s not going to be here in time, and so I had to go to plan B. Plan B is always a bit of a disappointment, because Plan A is generally much better. But when things are out of our control, Plan B, C, D, E, F. . . are all better than not doing anything at all. I even drove to “Orson Gygi” in Salt Lake, hoping and praying they still had some of my favorite candies available in bulk. Sadly, all that was left that color coordinated with the cute little green heart plates I’ve had for months now, were some pink and green watermelon gummy candies. They are a little brighter than I would have liked, but still worked in the chosen color scheme. I love a good gummy candy, and hoped these would be a good alternative. I didn’t have much choice as there wasn’t much left. I got in the car, opened a bag, and popped one in my mouth . . . they aren’t terrible . . . but are clearly not my favorite. In this case I guess I will just have to be ok with the presentation being cute – because who doesn’t like an aesthetically pleasing gift presentation right? When we put forth effort, it shows we care! And we all know the Lord loves effort!
In addition to the cute green plate with a little beaded edge I found on Amazon, I found some adorable gold floral teaspoons to tie in with the ribbon sprig. I wanted something a little different for the tags, and have been experimenting printing on watercolor paper. I found the sweetest vintage heart design with Lily of the Valley flowers from “The Graphics Fairy” website to design a fun and easy tag on my “Silhouette Cameo” machine. I also wanted a heartfelt quote, and knew it as soon as I read it - “Love is the defining characteristic of a disciple of Christ”.
My kids and grandkids got a totally different package. A few years ago, I was introduced to the cutest little gift store in South Ogden, Utah – “The Treasure Basket”. They have a small candy section, and since I’m a bit of a candy connoisseur, I can’t resist trying something new. Especially when it comes in a cute package, in this case a pink and white striped oval tin. The peppermint candies are called “The Original Old Fashioned Peppermint - Chewy Peps”. The perfect combination of sweet and mint. But don’t let the name fool you, they are NOT chewy at first. If you bite down on them when you first put them in your mouth, you might break a tooth. You have to put one in your mouth and savor it for a little while, just enjoy the experience! You will soon be able to “feel” when it is safe to begin chewing it. Chewy Peps have a long lasting, eventually chewy, pleasant consistency, and these things are addicting. They also come in a smaller white vintage paper bag. But if I were you, I’d go for the oval tin, you won’t regret it. I put a can out on Christmas with a little serving tong. There weren’t any left by the end of the day. You won’t be able to eat just one!
The grandkids all prefer chocolate over sugary candy or gummies. Their favorites are the individually wrapped, “Dove” heart shaped milk chocolates, lightly drizzled with dark chocolate over the top. This particular flavor comes in a dark purple bag, and are wrapped in dark purple foil. These are only available at Valentine’s Day. I get mine at Target, and stock up for the year when I find them. If you store them in a cool, dry, dark place, they will last for months in their unopened bag. Each grandchild will receive an entire bag to themselves this year tied up with a candy sucker, pretty bow, and a cute Valentine gift tag.
Normally, I just do one type of candy each year, but due to the shipping failure from Sweden, and knowing how much the kids love the “Chewy Peps” and the “Dove” chocolates, I went with that for them.
Gift giving no matter the reason, always means more when we put thought and effort into learning what the recipient likes. As we tailor our gifts to personal likes, they feel special knowing we pay attention and remember what their favorite things are. Gifts don’t have to be fancy or expensive. A handmade heartfelt note is oftentimes preferred, and better than a big expensive fancy gift they might not know what to do with. Do you know their favorite color? Use that color ink in your pen to write the note. Do they have a favorite animal, flower, or bug? Incorporate these as well. Small touches like this are noticed, and help the people we surround ourselves with feel special. As we focus on those in our lives who mean so much to us, we not only bring LIGHT into their lives, but into our own as well. The Light of Christ is a God given gift we are all born with! The best thing about it, is that it never runs out! The more LIGHT we give, the more LIGHT we receive.
So don’t let anyone convince you that Valentine’s Day is a “Greeting Card Holiday”, or that it is only for lovers on February 14th. Share the love every day, and look for ways to be a kind and loving friend.
Happy Valentine’s Day! Love Ya, Les :)