Fresh red and pink flowers, the delight of sweet chocolates, festive little heart decorations strung about, and cards, cards, cards! Love is in the air … And in the post offices, our mailboxes, and in stores waiting to be purchased. Valentine’s Day is filled with notes of friendship and love – quite a bit of love actually, with an estimated 150 million greeting cards exchanged each year in the United States alone. Whether you prefer to hand make your cards or choose the perfect store-bought version, a little love goes a long way. Let’s check out the history of Valentine’s Day cards long before the “Hallmark” era.
Valentine’s Day festivities in the United States most likely began sometime during the 17th century, after the U.S. adopted the idea from Europe, where it was custom to share confectionary sweets and cards in honor of Saint Valentine. By the mid-1700s, lovers of all social classes began to share handwritten notes and little trinkets to express their affection for one another. Half-way through the next century, elaborate Valentine’s cards were massed produced in the United States. Cards were now adorned with lace, ribbons and pictures imported from England, which boosted the popularity of sending Valentine’s Day cards. By 1900, technological advances like more common printing technology and cheaper postage rates made it easy for even more love letters to float about friends and devotees, much like the traditions we still have today. The mass printing of cards made it a bit easier to express love or affection in a time where emotions were a little less expressed.
Today, Valentine’s Day is the second largest “card-giving” holiday each year, just behind the Christmas season. Many people across the United States still practice the same traditions that were celebrated hundreds of years before us, keeping the holiday alive and making people all over the country feel special. You are never too young, or too old to have a little love in your life. Make some time this Valentine’s Day to visit a senior. A simple card, or a visit to a loved one, is sometimes all that is needed. At all of our Evergreen communities, it is our top priority to make our residents and their families feel special, not only on Valentine’s Day, but each and every day of the year.
