COVER STORY : VALENTINE ’ S DAY
In the 1840s , the first Valentine ’ s Day cards were mass-produced in the U . S ., sold by Esther A . Howland . Known as the “ Mother of the American Valentine ,” Howland is credited with commercializing Valentine ’ s Day cards in America , and she is remembered for her elaborate , crafty cards made with lace and ribbons which originally cost from 15-35 cents . Fun facts :
• Teachers receive the most Valentine ’ s Day cards annually , followed by children , mothers , and wives . Americans send 145 million Valentine ’ s Day cards each year .
• Not surprising , the gift that people spend the most on is jewelry . In 2020 , the second most-paid-for gift on Valentine ’ s Day was an evening out , followed by clothing , candy , and then flowers .
• The first heart-shaped box of chocolates was introduced in 1861 and today , more than 36 million heart-shaped boxes of chocolates are sold each year .
• Nearly 6 million couples get engaged on Valentine ’ s Day .
the docket
THE DOCKET is the official award-winning publication of the Sarasota County Bar Association .
PUBLISHER | Holly Lipps , SCBA Executive Director CO-EDITORS | Jill Bowen and Adam Shapiro EDITORIAL COMMITTEE | Kate Fall , Mallory Moretti , William Motherway , Adam Portnow DESIGN AND EDITORIAL CONSULTATION |
Jan Oglesby
Interested contributors may submit article ideas to the editors at scba @ sarasotabar . com . The Docket is published 10 months a year . Deadline is the first Friday of the preceding month of the publication .
All articles printed herein are property of the Sarasota County Bar Association and may not be reprinted without permission . Opinions expressed in The Docket are those of the authors only and are not opinions of the SCBA .
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