Valentine’s Day
Feast of Saint Valentine
Simple Gestures that Last a Lifetime
About Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day is a celebration of the soft-hearted gesture, the handwritten card, the cozy dinner, the small gift wrapped just so. It’s a day for love, but not necessarily the sultry kind (that comes tomorrow). If you’re in the mood for the grade-school version—goofy puns, paper cards, and everyone getting one—see the Inspiration section below. If you’d rather stay in the romance lane, keep it simple and sweet. Sincerity matters more than spectacle, and the smallest gestures often carry the most weight. Don’t mistake today’s heartfelt version for the lustful, almost vampiric one that arrives tomorrow, Lupercalia. Indeed, play your cards right today and tomorrow will be legendary.
Ways to observe
(A) Low effort
Send a digital valentine or text to someone unexpected: a friend, coworker, or someone you haven’t talked to in a while. Keep it simple. “Thinking of you today.”
(B) Recommended
Write a real valentine by hand. Include candy or a token gift. Deliver it quietly, or dramatically, if you’re feeling brave. If you have time, make several and distribute them with grade-school generosity.
(C) High effort
Plan a Valentine’s Day Adventure: a homecooked meal, a favorite movie, or a re-creation of your first date. Include multiple small gestures: a card, a flower, a song, a toast. Nothing huge, just thoughtful.
Inspiration
Somewhere along the way, we lost the sweet, egalitarian version of Valentine’s Day, the one where everyone got a card. I remember spending hours making a Valentine’s mailbox for my desk and customizing cards with private jokes for friends. Imagine bringing that energy to the office: Steve from IT gets a koala-themed card reading, “You are KOALA-FIED to be my good friend,” complete with hugging marsupials. Yes, it would probably end in an HR intervention, but only because we’ve forgotten the harmless goofiness at the heart of it all. And let’s not forget the mountains of chalky ‘Conversation Hearts’ that fueled the day. If you can’t rope your workplace into it, pick a small circle of friends and surprise them with simple cards, a few ridiculous puns, and a gel-penned heart or two.
The holiday takes its name from Saint Valentine, a third-century Roman martyr who, depending on which version you prefer, either performed forbidden marriages or restored sight to a judge’s daughter with a note signed “Your Valentine.” Whatever the truth, he became a symbol of romantic love and, over time, inspired generations to scribble notes, pen poems, and exchange tokens of affection.
Adornments
Watch
Moonrise Kingdom (2012)
Set on a New England island in the 1960s, this whimsical film follows two misfit 12-year-olds who run away together. A touching courtship ensues.
Say Anything (1989)
Lloyd Dobler is an endearingly optimistic high school graduate who falls for the class valedictorian, Diane Court. The film’s iconic scene of Lloyd holding a boombox aloft outside Diane’s window has become a cultural emblem.
Marty (1955)
A poignant classic about two ordinary people finding love when they least expect it. Marty Piletti is a 34-year-old Bronx butcher, gentle and lonely, who has almost given up on romance. At a local dance he meets Clara, a schoolteacher who feels just as overlooked.
Read
Sonnets from the Portuguese by Elizabeth Barrett Browning
A cycle of forty-four intimate sonnets, composed as a kind of private love diary, charting the author’s profound affection for her future husband, Robert Browning.
The Love Letters of Abelard and Heloise (12th Century)
This legendary correspondence between a brilliant philosopher and his equally gifted student offers a glimpse into one of history’s most intense intellectual and romantic bonds.