My kind of Valentine.

I love the holiday for love:  Valentine’s Day.  In the olden days, we received our Valentine cards in decorated white paper bags with red and pink hearts cut from construction paper.  Paper doilies added flare.  We wrote out Valentine’s for every person in the class, saving the best for the BFF and maybe a hint of romance for Ronnie or Jay.   Those were the days.  K.I.S.S.  (Keeping It Simple Sweetheart, a Valentine twist.)

A favorite person-of-interest, pre-hubby, was the one that left simple gifts on the windshield of my car to let me know he was thinking of me.  A packet of peanut M&Ms, a single carnation, or a smashed beer can underneath my wiper made for a crack-me-up surprise in the mornings as I hopped in my car for school.  It seemed more romantic than the dozen roses I received from my Target co-worker; he used his employee discount and grabbed a dozen on his way out from work.  It seemed too easy to me, although he meant well.  I prefer the simple, unexpected approach.

Some vase.

So of course I married the guy that made his Valentines from construction paper, glue and markers.  He knew how to win my heart with just the right heart.   Now he makes Valentines for me with the boys.  And this year was a group effort to send me flowers.  The Internet search was on while I was sleeping for the night.  The flowers arrived just before Valentine’s Day and TJ explained all about the clandestine act.  “And Mom, you get to keep the vase!” (Better he discovers this fascinating fact with mom than a girlfriend, a potential deal-breaker.)

As a family, it’s hard play up the romance, especially with boys.  Since they were young, we celebrated Valentine’s with a romantic dinner for four.  Hubby and I both like to cook so we plan a menu together and now the boys join the cooking and planning team.  Already the energy is pumping for the festive event.  TJ will make fried ice cream.  We all agreed Dad should find crab from Chinatown.  I bought giant strawberries to which Alex exclaimed, “Fondue!”

Shiny Valentine.

The guys love our tradition.  We sit in our dining room to eat, using the good dishes and cloth napkins.  Sparkling cider is so fun to drink from champagne flutes.  Every year my boys love retelling the story of mom carrying Alex in her arms to the dinner table, only to have him throw up all over himself and her.  It gets howls to this day, even me.  If home is where the heart is, then this is the perfect Valentine’s Day for me, with my family, simple and sweet.