If you have been following along at all, you will know that I love celebrating. It brings a pause, a break from the every day. It helps us to refocus on something specific and usually important. Often times, a focus on something that we may tend to take for granted in the everyday busy.
So it may come as no surprise that I love to celebrate St. Valentine's Day. It has always been a special holiday for me ever since I was little. A tradition handed down from my Grandmother who used to set a special breakfast table with treats and small surprises for my mom and her siblings. My mother did the same for us and a tradition I am trying to give my 3 littles.
I know so many people struggle with the necessity of celebrating what can be perceived as an overly commercialized holiday that sort of forces itself into our otherwise busy lives. A day of hearts and - gasp - glitter. There is Galentine's and Palentine's and Valentine strikes. For some, as many holidays can be, a truly difficult day for those with grieving hearts.
However, I am here to offer a different {albeit not a new} focus. St. Valentine's Day celebrates a Roman Catholic saint who was martyred for his faith. His life and death points to the higher reality - the very reason St. Valentine gave his life and entered the Communion of Saints - the Love of God and God's love for us.
When Valentine's Day is seen with the lens of the virtue of Christian Charity and God's infinite Love of us, this gives us a beautiful reason to celebrate, to pause, to reflect. A beautiful lesson to share with little people, our families, friends and those we meet. It is a day that is more than cheesy romantic cards, stuffed bears or overpriced roses. It is a day that can serve as a reminder to be grateful for God's love of us, and the love of those in our lives.
Here are some fun (and easy) ways to celebrate this special day!
- Dress the table - we like to use china for the special day! But there have been years when the Dollar store also offered a great selection of red, white and pink!
- Decorate! Anything from homemade hearts taped on the wall, framed prints, or streamers and garland (again the dollar store is a great place for cheap decorations!)
- Breakfast: Serve a special breakfast treat. In our home it is store-bought donuts. :)
- Dinner: A "fancy" meal can be anything from a lasagna with dimmed lights and drippy candles or home-made (or Dominio's) heart shaped pizza followed by a dessert which can be as simple as store bought cookies or your favorite homemade treat.
- Reflection: Prayer to St. Valentine, Bible passages about God's love
- Book to read for the day: St. Valentine as retold by Robert Sabuda
Wishing you all a joyous and beautiful day celebrating God's Love!
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