Valentine"s Day
The Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named
Valentine or Valentinus (as he was known to his drinking buddies), all of
whom were martyred. One story tells a tale of Valentine as a priest during
the third century in Rome. Emperor Claudius II decreed that single men
made better soldiers than those with wives and families (he wasn’t PC at
all) and outlawed marriage for young men. Valentine continued to perform
marriages in secret and when discovered, was put to death. (A true
idealist)
In Great Britain, Valentine’s Day began to be popular around the 17th
century. By the middle of the 18th, it was common for friends and lovers
of all social classes to exchange handwritten notes. Printed cards began
to replace written letters in the early 1900’s due to improvements in
printing technology.
Americans began exchanging hand-made Valentines in the early 1700s
as well and in the 1840s, Esther A. Howland began selling the first
mass-produced Valentines in America. Howland, known as the “Mother
of the Valentine,” made decorative creations with real lace, ribbons and
colorful pictures known as “scrap.” (That’s crap with an ‘S’)
Today, according to the Greeting Card Association (part of the cartel),
an estimated 1 billion Valentine’s Day cards are sent each year, making
Valentine’s Day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year
after Christmas. Women purchase approximately 85 percent of all
Valentines. (Men purchase 100% of the flowers and candy.)
All kidding aside, my hat is off to all the lovers of the world. It’s a
blessing to find love in this crazy world of ours. Express it however you
want or desire (Even enriching the Flowers/Candy/Greeting Card cartel
if you must) and show that lady or man in your life that you love them
and truly care. Someday I hope to do the same.
Happy Valentine’s Day
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OUR VALLEY SANTA CLARITA