My Sentiments, Exactly

This weekend is the freak-out.
Next Tuesday is Valentine’s Day. Do you have a gift? A card?
Barely did stores get rid of their 80 percent off Christmas clearance items then they were stocking the shelves with pinks and reds galore. But did I pay attention? No. Now I’m scrounging through what’s left – a heart-decorated mug or tie.
And the card! What a quandary – should it be funny or fawning or full of admiration for the man who has seen me lick leftovers off my children’s plates, who patiently watches me remove peas from Chinese fried rice, who sighs heavily but still lets me have the den TV when I want to watch The Day After Tomorrow, a 2004 American climate science fiction disaster film, for the 20th time.
After more than 30 years together, my husband and I have celebrated Valentine’s Day in a multitude of ways – the funniest of which was walking around Philadelphia in zero-degree weather (where, in search of warmth, we actually took a tour of the Thaddeus Kosciuszko house – from an enthusiastic volunteer in period garb who couldn’t believe her good luck to have two visitors on a bitterly cold day – we now know more than we ever hoped to about the Brigadier General and close friend of Thomas Jefferson).
Then the kids came along, and suddenly Valentine’s took on the feeling of an assembly line. We had work to do – addressing flat little cards with clever sayings like “You’re Dino-mite!” and “You’re the Purrfect Friend.” My kids were always trying to talk me into buying cards that involved candy – and they usually didn’t have to be very persuasive.
I love candy. My favorite candy in all the world is Necco wafers, and they’re the very company that makes those delectable Conversation Hearts bearing tidings of love – “Crazy 4U,” and “LOL,” and “Wink Wink” for example.
When the kids went off to college, I would walk forlornly through the 99 Cents store – wishing they were still at home smearing the kitchen table with glue sticks and glitter.
So, I started sending them care packages – filled with wacky Valentine’s goodies: heart-studded flashlights, stickers, and a number of things that would make our family dentist’s blood pressure rise, namely bags and bags of candy, most of it made from high fructose corn syrup in factories that are probably also manufacturing anti-freeze and such.
Valentine’s Day can be pretty corny – all those giant, lace and velvet trimmed boxes of chocolate, and lingerie displays at the mall that you have to steer your kids away from, unless you want to explain why it’s comfortable to sleep in something that looks like knight-in-shining armor gear made of doilies.
But it’s still a lovely holiday. A chance to say I love you to your community of family and friends.
So, this weekend, instead of freaking out – maybe I’ll unearth the Elmer’s and the construction paper (I still have some in my craft closet!) and craft a tender missive to the ones I love. Oh yeah, and my son, who lives 1,000 miles away should expect a box of goodies, and maybe a toothache in the near future.