Who Created Valentine’s Day, Anyway?

When I was in first grade, I spent hours making Valentine’s for the class — big red hearts, topped with square black top hats and a clever message running across the brim in glitter glue.

In college, I baked cookies and passed them around campus.

Then someone told me that Valentine’s Day was created by Hallmark.

Yikes.

That sort of ruined it for me.

But it’s hard not to notice, people everywhere in the world buying flowers, eating dinner, thinking about nice things to do for one another, remembering great moments with one another, letting out joy and pain, depending on where we are in the cycle.

All of us, together, heralding love as a hero, if only for a day.

That can’t be a bad thing.

So… I’ve changed my mind.

Sometimes the juice is more important than the squeeze (or the squeezer). Being inspired is the thing that really matters, moreso than the source of the inspiration. Don’t overthink it, like I did. Dance to whatever song makes you dance. Spend five bucks on a card.

I forgive you, Hallmark. There’s nothing wrong with profiting from love.

We all aspire to do exactly that, in one way or another.

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Happy Valentine’s Day to you all! In lieu of fresh-baked cookies and hearts with top hats, I’m sending my love via post!

(P.S. Our esteemed holiday was actually not created by a card company but has been celebrated for centuries, if that sort of thing matters to you.)