love In my twenties, I found my love. Our first Valentine’s Day together, I gave him an ink sketch that I had done and he gave me a bottle of wine. It was a month into our relationship, so this exchange was pretty much expected.

As I got to know him more, I learned that he did not like Valentine’s Day. He thought it was a holiday made by Hallmark and it was all about money. I had never heard of this interpretation before, but I heard him out.

Unfortunately for him, I am much more based in my emotions, so he knew it would hurt me if he boycotted this day. It is not about the price tag, but the sentiment. We found a way to make us both happy and my favorite gifts have been hand-picked flowers, a card made by the kids and a poem written for me. What I like about us, is how we found a way to meet in the middle and understand each other. I get my romantic day, and he doesn’t feel like he is forced to go commercial.

While reflecting on all of this and thinking back to this day when I was younger, I thought it would be entertaining to have an interview with my family about Valentine’s Day to see what each of them thought (Daughter 4, son 6 1/2):

What do you know about Valentine’s day?

Son: I don’t know.
Daughter: Nothing
Husband: There was a St. Valentine guy, and Hallmark invented the holiday so they could sell greeting cards. Valentine’s Day is a multi-million dollar industry.
Me: It’s a day to celebrate our loved ones and friends. It is a special day, a romantic day.

What do we do on that day?

Son: Give somebody cards
Daughter: Give cards
Husband: Give cards, flowers, chocolate, get drunk and do it
Me: Tell each other we love each other, do something little, but special for each other, have a nice dinner together, sweet things

Why do we give cards?

Son: To say Happy Valentine’s Day
Daughter: I don’t know
Husband: To let someone know you’re thinking about them
Me: To say I love you or I like you.

Who do we give them to?

Daughter: Grammy, Pop, and Uncle Bill
Son: Everybody
Husband: Our Beautiful wives
Me: Husband, children, kids at school, niece and nephew

Does anyone get flowers?

Daughter: Yes. Who? Grammy, Pop, Uncle Bill
Son: No
Husband: Yeah. Who? You and our daughter
Me: Yes, me and our daughter

Does anyone get candy?

Daughter: Yes! Who? Grammy, Pop, Uncle Bill, Chuckie, Uncle Jason and Aunt Shelly
Son: No
Husband: Yeah, whoever, everybody…it just falls out of the sky
Me: Yes, we all do

Do you want candy?

Daughter: Yes, I want the things that have the twirl stuff on it. (spiral lollipop)
Son: No
Husband: Yeah, I like chocolate and those Andes mints
Me: Yes, chocolate crackers and turtles from the Chocolate Shoppe

Do you want flowers?

Daughter: Me! What kind? Red flowers
Son: No. Flowers are not good because they smell bad.
Husband: Not particularly
Me: I love flowers all the time, yes.

Do you want cards?

Daughter: I want cards. My mermaid wants a card too.
Son: Not me
Husband: I don’t know. If someone gives me one, that’s nice.
Me: Yes, my favorite are the ones that are made for me (hint, hint hubby dear)

Valentine’s day is a day to say I love you, I like you, I’m glad we’re friends. What do you think about that?

Daughter: I want to get candy, flowers and a card. Can I please get all of those stuff?
Son: Great
Husband: Sounds good
Me: I love it.

Who do you want to say “I love you,” to?

Daughter: Grammy & Pop
Son: Aunt Janie
Husband: Everyone I love….you and the kids
Me: My family and close friends

Are you going to do anything for Mommy for Valentine’s Day?

Son: You sleep and then we make valentine cookies, like hearts with chocolate chips
Daughter: orange cookies, ginger cookies and candy canes
Husband: Yeah…I have to, don’t I?

Are you going to do anything for Daddy for Valentine’s Day?

Daughter: Card
Son: Card
Me: Of course

What is your favorite thing about Valentine’s Day?

Daughter: Cookies!
Son: I don’t have a favorite one for Valentine’s Day
Husband: Ohhhh, we usually get chocolate that we don’t usually have and there’s nothing really wrong with that
Me: Surprising the kids in the morning with someone special, seeing their excitement, reminding them how special they are to us, doing something nice for my husband, pampering ourselves with a nice dinner together

Do you have someone special for Valentine’s Day?

Son: Amy….making her a heart cookie.
Daughter: Cousin May. I’m going to make her a present. Her present is going to be goodies.
Husband: I do.
Me: I do

After our interview, I have come to the conclusion that my daughter loves getting and giving candy, cookies, flowers and cards and so does her mermaid. My son actually does like getting surprises on Valentine’s morning, he just plays it cool. My husband has warmed up to this day because he has an emotional wife. He also has been the recipient of very nice Valentines!

As for Me, I am a romantic! I love treating my kids and husband on this day.

We want to hear from you: How do you feel about Valentine’s Day and what are your traditions?

This is an original World Moms Blog post by Maggie Ellison.  Maggie can be found crafting with her children at home or playing on the beach with them in the low country of South Carolina, USA.

Photo credit tohttp://s763.photobucket.com/albums/xx279/jeniferqm/?action=view&current=aw.jpg This photo is being used within the terms of photobucket.

Maggie Ellison

Maggie is so grateful to be raising her 2 children with her husband in the low country of South Carolina. Life at the beach is what she’s always known, although living in SC is new to this NJ native! The beauty of the live oaks and the palmettos takes her breath away on a daily basis and being able to go to the beach all year is a dream for her. Art and music have also always been a part of Maggie’s life, and she is happy that her family has the same love and appreciation for it that she does.
Maggie and her family are also very active. Her husband coaches both kids in soccer, and they like to spend their time outdoors kayaking, biking, swimming, camping, etc. They try to seize every moment they can together, and they feel that it’s not just the family time that is important. They want their kids to know a life of activity and respect for the outdoors, expose them to new things and teach them about the world! Maggie and her family are no strangers to overcoming life's challenges. They've had to uproot their family several times when jobs have been lost in the economic crisis.
They also lovingly face the challenges of having a child diagnosed with special needs. Through all this, Maggie has learned to celebrate the good times and never take them for granted. Her family is everything to her, and she is incredibly grateful for every day she has with them and for every moment she has shared with them. Not a day goes by that she doesn’t tell them she loves them and how lucky she is to be her kids’ mommy. How sweet!

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