A Different Kind of Valentine

I’m not quite sure how Valentine’s Day came about so quickly this year, especially since I was just taking my turkey out of the oven. 

I’m not sure what gave it away, the giant boxes of Whitman’s chocolates taunting me or the beanbag hearts with the dangling legs staring at me from the check-out counter at Walgreen’s.

With a little creativity, you can rekindle some romance in your relationship even though you might be a busy mom on a tight budget.

This year, perhaps try to examine Valentine’s Day in a different way.  

Try not to think in terms of what new bauble to wear around your neck or the latest perfume ad that caught your eye. Don’t imagine the florist coming up your walkway with a dozen roses.

Why not celebrate the day with no expectation of gifts or lavish treatment?  

Now, I know you must be thinking, "What gives?" Give up the one day you actually get to bask in your husband’s generosity and make him feel guilty if he fails to deliver?

Don't worry, there is a method to my madness.

First off, let’s examine a little Valentine history and how this day of love came to be.

Valentine’s Day, and indeed its patron saint, are both shrouded by a bit of mystique. We do know that Valentine’s Day has long been considered a day of romance.

One legend contends that St. Valentine was a third century priest from Rome who was eventually put to death by Emperor Claudius II for performing marriages for soldiers against the Emperor’s wishes.

Another story alludes to Valentine as a person who helped persecuted Christians escape from savage Roman prisons.  

Still, another theory suggests that Valentine, while imprisoned in France during the Middle Ages, fell in love with the jailor’s daughter who came to visit. It is said he may have sent her a letter signed “From your Valentine."

Gee, I’ll bet he never conceived that sentiment would someday be stamped on millions of little candy hearts and sold by mass merchandisers everywhere.  

The possible scenarios and folklore abound. Valentine’s Day may have even involved women being chased down cobblestone streets while slapped with strips of linen dipped in sacrificial goat’s blood to make them more fertile.

Be it that, or simply an occasion perpetuated by the likes of Hallmark to sell more greeting cards, it’s definitely a day of anticipated romance.  

This year, consider treating your hubby or significant other to something a little different, in lieu of expecting something for yourself. The reward may rekindle long lost passion for the both of you.  

Here are a few ideas. This week, begin to leave some sweet notes in your hubby’s lunch, briefcase or on his dashboard. Tell him something positive he does for you or a special way he makes you feel.

Make an official sacrifice (even after the Super Bowl) and suggest watching his favorite T.V. show.

When he asks where you’d like to go for dinner, tell him you were thinking about just ordering in and spending time focused on him. Hand him the phone number to his favorite Chinese or pizza takeout.

Pick up a copy of a book you know he’s wanted to read. Change the blade in his razor or fix his favorite dessert. There are a million little gestures you can do to show him how you feel.

When the big day arrives, put on some lipstick and kiss the bathroom mirror. Leave a lipstick note beside your lip imprint. Write something you haven’t told him in years.

You may be surprised by how genuinely amorous he feels after remembering just why he picked you to be his soul mate.