Each February, in places around the world, friends exchange flowers, gifts, and candy in celebration of Valentine's Day. The name of St. Valentine is known across the globe as a patron saint. Most of us however, do not know the true origin of St. Valentine and how this special day came to be. What we do know is that February is the month of romance. As we know it today, St. Valentine's Day contains elements of both ancient Roman and Christian traditions. The Catholic Church r...

Homemade Valentine?s are great for your kids to give to the really special people in their lives like Grandma?s and Grandpa?s, Aunt?s and Uncle?s, brothers and sisters, best friends and of course, Daddy! But unless you start them at Halloween, we suggest you stick to boxed cards for all their friends at school! Here are some fun and easy ideas to make Valentine?s Day cards with your kids? Hearts and Hands Valentine Here?s what you need: Construction paper (two diffe...

Twelve multiple choice trivia questions about Valentine holiday history and tradition

Ahh, Valentine?s Day. It comes every February 14th, and men all over the country stop and pick up the obligatory dozen roses, piece of jewelry, or box of chocolates. But did you ever wonder about some of the early traditions of Valentine?s Day? And no, Valentine?s Day was not created by the department stores to get men to spend more money on jewelry. For example, in the middle ages, men and women would draw names to see who their valentines were. Then for the next week, t...

Valentine's Day is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate those we love, and money should not stay in the way of it. Here are some Valentine's Day gift ideas that won?t cost any money. 1. Surprise your partner with a new set of vows, complete with a lovely candlelight dinner. Take care of all the details before the actual day, so you can be relaxed and enjoy it too. 2. Window-shop for your dreams together: go "house hunting" for the perfect getaway cottage...mountain c...

Remember those pre-child days when you would go out to a fancy restaurant or spend the weekend at a romantic get-away to celebrate Valentine?s Day? That may not be an option this year, but you can still enjoy a romantic dinner with your spouse. Here are a few ideas on how you can easily create a romantic Valentine?s Day dinner at home. Creating The Menu This is the perfect time for some ?Grown-up? food. Cook a separate dinner for the kids or order in some pizza. Let the ...

Are you as tired as I am of those little white heart-shaped candies with messages like ?I like You? printed on them? Be a little creative this year and come up with some new Valentine?s Day treats to take to school and work. Here are a few ideas to get you started. Valentine?s Day Cookies Make a batch of Sugar cookies or pick up some refrigerated dough at the grocery store. Cut them out with a heart-shaped cookie cutter and bake. Frost with a glaze of powdered sugar, wat...

Valentine?s Day comes hot on the heels of Christmas, New Year and the Chinese New Year, occasions when decorations, plus special home and garden décor, are at their most abundant. While people do not generally decorate their homes extensively for Valentine's Day, now you have got in the decoration mood, why not have a few special Valentine ornaments about the home to signify the day? If your Valentine's ornaments are well chosen, they may even fit into your home decor at o...

Traditionally, mid-February was a Roman time to meet and court prospective mates. The Lupercian lottery (under penalty of mortal sin), Roman young men did institute the custom of offering women they admired and wished to court handwritten greetings of affection on February 14. The cards acquired St. Valentine's name. As Christianity spread, so did the Valentine's Day card. The earliest extant card was sent in 1415 by Charles, duke of Orleans, to his wife while he was a pri...

Let me introduce myself. My name is Valentine. I lived in Rome during the third century. That was long, long ago! At that time, Rome was ruled by an emperor named Claudius. I didn't like Emperor Claudius, and I wasn't the only one! A lot of people shared my feelings. Claudius wanted to have a big army. He expected men to volunteer to join. Many men just did not want to fight in wars. They did not want to leave their wives and families. As you might have guessed, not many m...