Today I’m rocking the 2008 Valentine’s Day Pack Nike Air Max 90s. I’m getting all romantic and stuff because it’s nearly Valentine’s Day. Not that I have a Valentine (aside from the girls I’m having Valentine’s lunch with of course), but I’m a sucker for romance anyway (this is the second post about Valentine’s Day I’ve done in a week!).
Which got me thinking about all the Valentine’s Days I’ve had. And all the Valentine’s Days there’s ever been, ever. It’s said that Valentine’s Day began because it is the day on which love birds choose their mate. Then Pope Gelasius declared February 14 St. Valentine’s Day around 498 A.D.
I suppose I started noticing Valentine’s Day when I was in year 5 or 6. I think we made cards. And I remember helping Mum buy a Valentine’s Day card for my Dad. Sometimes she’d leave one out for me too (incidently if you’re looking for a card, make your free Ralph Wiggam card here). The tradition of giving a card or a ‘Valentine’ on Valentine’s Day came into fashion in nineteenth-century Great Britain. But the trend really took off when it crossed the ditch to the USA, and eventually became so popular it become the hallmark holiday that it is today.
It was in high school that Valentine’s Day really became something big. The school representative council did this fundraising thing where you could anonymously have a rose delivered on Valentine’s Day during roll call to the object (or objects) of affection.
Since I was in a committed relationship for most of my 20s, Valentine’s Day was a bit dull. I often found myself over compensating in the gift giving department to make up for the lack of receiving – but I’m not going to hold a grudge. Over the years I have done some wacky Valentine’s stunts – one year I had a singing hamster delivered to his work (I don’t think he was impressed). He was more traditional – a dozen red roses and we did have a particularly nice Valentine’s dinner a few years ago at Jazsushi in Surry Hills.
Being the prankster/romantic I am, I had to play a little bit of romantic trickery on our friends when we got married. We decided to have a surprise wedding (that is, we invited everyone to an engagement party, but it was really our wedding)… and to add a little fuel to the fire, I created an invite that matched. Each invite was a handmade love letter, delivered to each invitee on Valentine’s Day. Which actually proved quite funny, especially when partners of friends we’d invited thought the letters were from secret lovers.
Then we got divorced, so I guess the joke was on us.
But it hasn’t hindered my romantic streak. Onwards and upwards. Last year I had a fabulous Valentine’s dinner at Lotus in Sydney. The food was fantastic, shame about the company. Que será, será. This year I’ll be getting glammed up and lunching with all the single ladies. And at least I have my kicks to love.
Can anyone guess which kicks I’ll be wearing on Day 14?
What they said…