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I was just at the store perusing the Valentine’s Day cards hoping to get a jump on the holiday. Instead, I came away a bit frustrated. Since when did a Valentine’s Day card become an apology? More than half of all the cards I read through went like this:
I know we don’t always get along, but…
I haven’t always been the best husband…
We’ve been through some ups and downs…
We’ve had our share of hard times…
I hope that black eye heals up…
Ok, I made the last one up, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see that on a card. Who wants to hear about bad stuff on Valentine’s Day? A day to celebrate love and togetherness should not be the time to apologize for all the wrongs or bring up the bad times of the past. It’s a time to celebrate a life together, to look to the future, to reminisce about the wonderful events of the past, and pronounce the love and sentiment that may not be spoken during the course of a normal day. Every year, I spend a lot of time, reading through all the cards on the shelf, trying to pick out the one that expresses my sentiments. Each year, I can only find one or two on the entire rack of cards that come close to expressing my feelings. Well, today at the card store, I couldn’t find a single card. I left the store without a Valentine’s Day card.
So, what am I to do? Well, I have a few ideas. I may create my own card. I might write a love letter. I might try another card store. I’m not real sure which direction I’ll go, but I’m leaning towards writing something myself. This way I can express my true sentiments; sentiments that are not likely to be in any off the shelf card.
As I was searching for ideas, I composed this list of ways to share an expression of love.
- Create or modify a Valentine’s Card
http://www.stvalentinesday.org/valentines-day-cards.html - Write a love letter
http://www.stvalentinesday.org/valentines-day-love-letters.html - Share a favorite poem
http://www.stvalentinesday.org/valentines-day-poem.html - Share a favorite quote
http://www.stvalentinesday.org/valentines-day-love-quotes.html - With kids’ toys
http://www.theromantic.com/stories/valentines/valentines15.htm - Create a memory poster
http://www.theromantic.com/stories/valentines/valentines12.htm - Modify a book
http://www.theromantic.com/stories/valentines/valentines7.htm - Inspiration Jar
http://www.theromantic.com/stories/valentines/valentines4.htm
Do you have any Valentine’s Day card, letter, or other creative greeting ideas? I’d love to hear them.
Image by Blue Stone Graphics
This post was written by...
Eric West – who has written 195 posts on Eden Journal.
Eric is the founder of Eden Journal. He loves blogging about personal growth and desires to make a small difference in the world by providing a platform for bloggers to share ideas on a wide range of topics from personal development to spiritual and philosophical awakenings. Google
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Eric – Great post! All those cards you looked at – I’m not sure what that says about the state of relationships these days. Whatever it is, not good. I absolutely think writing a love letter is the way to go. I just read an article about this, how the art has been lost and we truly cherish love letters. The article said a big part of it is to actually mail it (snail mail) to your beloved. And my local community marriage project is even hosting a love letter writing workshop this weekend! So you’re on top of the curve, and I’m totally impressed!
.-= Patty @ Why Not Start Now?´s last blog ..Getting Comfortable With I DON’T KNOW =-.
Hey Patty, I’m with you on the state of relationships. Or maybe it’s the state of people’s attitudes and outlooks on life. There seems to be a lot of negativity out there, most in an effort to make oneself feel better at the expense of others.
I am liking the idea of writing a letter, and I like the idea of mailing it. It would be such a great surprise to get something like that in the mail.
Well, I read this post and had to rush to my bedroom to get out the card I had already purchased for my husband (your Dad). I must have been lucky because my card reads:
To the One I Love
I love the smile that lights your face and a number of other things I love about my honey which I won’t write here to stay out of trouble with the card company. It ended with I love you just because you’re you!
So a card does exist that does not apologize so just keep looking or a love letter sounds like a wonderful idea too because it expresses your feelings and not those of an anonymous writer for the card company.
Yep, there are some cards out there. I just hate having to spend so much time hunting for one. I’ll figure something out this weekend, whether it’s looking for another card or writing my own.
BWAHAHAHA! “Hope that black eye heals up…”!
You know I used to think I could make a living at writing love letters for other people. I mean just let me interview you and find out all about you and your love and it will be DANDY.
But, honestly, I think it would always ring false. You gotta do it yourself and it has to be your sentiments.
.-= Krissa´s last blog ..Bounding, boundaryless , boundaries. =-.
Krissa, I bet there would be a market for a love letter writing service. Many people have a hard time expressing their emotions. But when you get right down to it, I think you’re right, you have to do it yourself to get your true feelings out.
You know, I have not been looking for a Valentine’s Day card yet this year and I was really surprised to see all the negative messages that you have written above. You are right, it is so sad that this romantic and happy day has turned into a day (for some people of course) of apologies and broken relationships.
Last year I made a photocard for my husband (Kodak, Snapfish and all drugstores offer them now). I have picked a few of my favorite pictures of my husband and me together and wrote my personal message that expressed only my feelings. He was very surprised and he loved the card.
I am not be sure if I am going to do it this year again or not, but I think that it is a great way to create a beautiful and custom card.
.-= Anastasiya´s last blog ..A Simple and Fast Guide to Patience for Impatient People =-.
Anastasiya, I like the idea of the photo card. I hadn’t thought of that one. We’ve done them before for other holidays, but never for Valentine’s Day. Thanks for the idea.
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