Valentines...

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY

I remember Valentines day as being very speical as a child. We not only took valentines to school for our class mates, but would hurry home to take valentines around the neighborhood to our friends. It was alot of fun, placeing our valentines on the front porch of our friends, knocking on the door, and running as fast as you could, so you wouldn't get caught. (How ever your name was on the back of the valentines). Then at home you waited for valentines to come to you and after the knock, quickly opening the door to try to catch kids running away. Often no one was insight, just the beautiful valentines on the porch. Sometimes when you would reach to pick them up, they would skoot away, being pulled by a string around the corner of the house. It was usualy a boy or two, playing tricks, and if you were fast enough you could catch the valentine before it disapeared.

I remember it seemed forever writing the names of my friends and class mates, and then my own, on the back of eack valentine. Mom would say it was good for me to improve my writing skills, and would offer me a cookie.

I have no idea what children bring their valentines home in, from school, now days, or even if they still do.
I remember being very young when a valentine box was needed in class. Each student was to have a decorated shoebox, which his valentines would be put into. These boxes would be judged, to find the prettiest.
I watched my mother very carefully decorate my box with white, and pink, crapepaper.
wrapping the box in the white, and carefully glueing pink crapepaper ruffels around the top and bottom of the box. After makeing a hole for the valentines to slip through, she glued little red and pink hearts on top. I thought it was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.....I was so impressed with it, that when I had a little girl of my own, who needed a valentine box, I decorated it the same way my mother had made mine.

As my children grew older, the Valentine box was no longer needed at school, and was replaced with large red hart folders made from paper with their names written on the outside. Then there was a large folded over paper with their name on the top, decorated by crayons. and last was just two pieces of paper stapled together, with a name on it.

I loved my valentine box my mother had made...I think I remember her saying that she was also pulling a memory of her own, as she loveingly created this for me.