Valentine’s Day Ideas for Him and Her
Valentine’s Day Ideas That Are Sure to Impress That Special Someone
By Jane Peabody
Copyright 2011 Jane Peabody
Smashwords Edition
Table of Contents
Chapter 1- The History Behind Valentines Day
Chapter 2- Valentine’s Day Ideas for Him
Chapter 3- Valentine’s Day Ideas for Her
Chapter 4 - Valentine’s Day Ideas for Boyfriends
Chapter 5- Valentine’s Day Ideas for Girlfriends
Chapter 6- Valentine’s Day Ideas for Husbands
Chapter 7- Valentine’s Day Ideas for Wives
Smashwords Edition, Licensing Notes
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It is entirely appropriate that the origins of Valentine’s Day are shrouded in mystery. February has long been a time when love has been celebrated in Western culture, and many ancient festivals and celebrations can be traced to mid-February origins. Cold weather may have exerted a great deal of influence on the situation since enforced intimacy during inclement weather has brought many people together for centuries. There have actually been three martyrs named Valentine who have been accorded sainthood by the Catholic Church, but the specific provenance of the holiday could not be conclusively established, so the Church removed the holiday from its official list in 1969, but continues to allow local and regional celebrations to honor St. Valentine.
The contemporary holiday sends many people, especially men, scurrying around at the last minute -- buying chocolates, flowers, gifts, and trying desperately to make restaurant reservations. The holiday is the second most popular occasion for buying greeting cards, just behind Christmas. It is the second busiest day of the year for many restaurants; Mother’s Day gets tops honors in this category. Many couples choose the date for weddings. The tradition of sending cards began in the 1700s and has become a major industry in modern times.
The holiday emphasizes gifts between committed partners and married people, but expressions of genuine affection are also welcome during a holiday committed to love. This eBook will attempt to help people negotiate the hype and hysteria to find appropriate gifts for friends, acquaintances, lovers, and spouses. Personal thought, creativity, and romance are the keys to Valentine’s gifts that will bring a smile to faces and melt the coldest heart.
Today, choosing a Valentine’s Day gift can be challenging, especially for men. Women buy 85 percent of the merchandise specifically associated with Valentine’s Day. Women can be very sensitive by nature and often devote hours to daydreams about romantic Valentine’s Day gifts. Trying to meet these expectations or exceed them can be a daunting task. Men are less sentimental on the surface and seem happy with any remembrance, but this may not always be true. Men are expected to buy a gift, flowers, chocolates, and spring for dinner. Often they receive a mere token, but express satisfaction. Deep down, men can be hurt when they are routinely shortchanged. Poor Charlie Brown is still awaiting a Valentine from the little red-haired girl.
Following this introduction are sections on appropriate gifts for men and women in multiple categories. Each section will recommend thoughtful gifts for friends, lovers, or spouses.
Valentines Day Ideas for Him - These are gift ideas for friends and acquaintances, which happen to be men. This includes brand-new relationships or men you may be seeing occasionally.
Valentines Day Ideas for Her - These are gift ideas for friends and acquaintances, which happen to be women. This includes brand-new relationships or women you may be seeing occasionally.
Valentines Day Ideas for Boyfriends - These gift ideas are for those people in a serious relationship with a man.
Valentines Day Ideas for Girlfriends - These gift ideas are for those people committed to a serious relationship with a woman.
Valentines Day Ideas for Husbands - Married men require different gifts than boyfriends. Greater intimacy requires choosing an appropriate gift.
Valentines Day Ideas for Wives - Married women often feel there is no romance in their lives. The best gifts restore romance and pamper harried wives and mothers.
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The History Behind St. Valentine’s Day
The most popular legend of St. Valentine’s Day is by far the most romantic, so that will be the one discussed here. In the third century in Rome, Emperor Claudius II came to the conclusion that single men made the most effective soldiers, so in classic style; he misinterpreted the logic suggested by this information. Rather than trying to locate confirmed bachelors for his armies, he put the cart before the horse and issued a proclamation that soldiers could no longer marry. Valentine was a priest who defied the order, marrying soldiers and their paramours in secret ceremonies. Claudius discovered the priest’s defiance and ordered his execution.
While in prison awaiting death, Valentine befriended the blind daughter of his jailer, and performed the miracle of curing her blindness. Some historians allege the two fell deeply in love. Right before his death, it is rumored; Valentine wrote a long missive declaring his eternal love. He signed the letter “From Your Valentine”, which explains the origin of the phrase and sentiment in modern Valentine’s Day celebrations. The sending of cards or love letters can also be traced to this ultimate expression of romance. Although many of these facts remain unconfirmed, the content of the story has the elements of basic Truth, spelled with a capital T.
Courtly love characterized the middle ages, enhanced by religious pilgrimages to free the holy lands and other quests. On Valentine’s Day in 1400, a “High Court of Love” was organized in Paris to deal with marriage contracts, alienation of affection issues, betrayals, and violence against women. Candidates for court judges read poetry aloud and were selected by a panel of women on the basis of the reading. Hopefully, the candidates were otherwise qualified for the position.
By 1797, the tradition of sending cards had gained ground in England with the advances in printing technology. The publication of “The Young Man's Valentine Writer” by a British publisher began the tradition of the pithy Valentine sentiment. The book contained sentimental poems for lovers unable to write their own, and these sentiments found their way onto mass-produced cards. A reduction of postal rates in the 1800s made anonymous Valentine’s cards practical. Many cards of the time were quite explicit, in defiance of the prudish moral compass imposed by the Victorian era.
Valentine’s Day had always been a day exclusively reserved for lovers. The holiday began to have a wider influence in 1847 when Esther Howland began to employ fine lace and ribbon to create stunning cards in her father’s stationery store, which was located in Worchester, Massachusetts. Suddenly, the holiday shifted focus to include affection and platonic love. Now everyone could appreciate the holiday.
By the 19th century, paper Valentines had become so popular in England that they were assembled in factories. Esther Howland worked in her father’s stationery store in Worchester, Massachusetts. She experimented with lace and ribbon and began to construct the artistic Valentine’s Day card. Her design was so popular that it inspired a complete change in the holiday, making it a day for everyone instead of just lovers. Valentine’s cards could be used to express affection or platonic love.
Of course, it has not always been pleasant. In 1929, two rival Chicago gangs had been fighting over control of the city during the Prohibition era. Al Capone led the South Side Italian gang, and Bugs Moran headed the North Side Irish gang. On Valentine’s Day in 1929, Al Capone lined up seven men from the rival gang and killed them in cold blood. The result was called the Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre.
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