Most of us Boomers remember our Valentine card exchange in elementary school and these wonderful little colourful candies with messages of love and friendship.
The week of Valentine’s Day we’d spend time creating elaborate decorations on little brown paper bags to hang on our desk for collecting our cards on the big day. In the beginning we would enthusiastically make cards for each classmate out of construction paper, glue, glitter and white doilies and adorn the finished card with funny little messages. The teacher gave everyone a list of all of your classmates so no one was ever left out. Then came the packages of Valentine’s Day cards that had the prepared sayings and you spent hours going over the messages trying to determine which was one was right for that special boy or girl and of course there was always one for the teacher. Then on Valentine’s Day our desks became a table top for fruit punch and pink-iced cupcakes sprinkled with tiny red cinnamon hearts and everyone raced around dropping cards in the brown bags.
As Valentine’s Day approaches, I find myself thinking back to those innocent times of the 50s and 60s and those funny little cards with cowboys that roped you in, pirates that walked the plank for you and of course the iceberg that would melt for you.
I am still sweet on Valentine’s Day and enthusiastically devour any chocolate that comes my way but it also affords me a special day to celebrate love and friendship. The internet has replaced the cards and I no longer decorate the brown paper bags but instead e-mail, text, twitter and Facebook family and friends but the message is still clear, Love is all around. The gifts over the years have changed as well, from the little colourful candies to chocolates, dinners out and flowers but every year I try to change it up. How about you?
Why not do the unexpected this Valentine’s Day……. book a change of scenery and leave the everyday routine behind. Make time to escape and express your LOVE with a Wells Gray Tours gift certificate.
Let us make your Valentine’s memorable. Stop by any one of our offices and buy a special Valentine’s Day Travel Gift Certificate. Buy one $20 gift certificate and get a second one free, or buy a $50 gift certificate, get 50% off the second one.
One per customer and offer good until 4:00pm on Valentine’s Day, Friday, February 14, 2014.
Written by: Joan Niemeier
