Random Question of the Week

What are your Valentine's Day traditions?

Every year, I'm always wondering what I should do for Valentine's Day. I guess we have no "traditions." So far I've done something different each time - I suppose that's the "tradition" - does that count as one? I try things and then, because of the lack of extreme excitement or appreciation from my family I don't deem it worth the work/effort the following years. Is this another one of my "commitment issues?" This makes it harder on me since I have to keep "reinventing the wheel." Sometimes it's just too exhausting to be so creative!! :)

Here's what we've (I've) done in the past:

• Cherry Ju Ju Hearts
• CHOCOLATE - this tradition stems from when I was in Japan. February 14th is not called, "Valentine's Day," but is called "Girl's Day." The tradition is that GIRLS give chocolate to BOYS. There was chocolate EVERYTHING in the stores around this time. Chocolate shaped trucks, balls, houses, tennis rackets, money, beer cans, toilet paper, flags, fruit, Pokemon, baskets, etc. etc. But, don't worry...there was a "Boy's Day" later in the year (I think March?) to make things equal - but the boys gave girls toys or kites or something (Chocolate would be MUCH better!) So, I ALMOST always do the "Girl's Day" chocolate thing! But, I still don't stick to the same thing with this either, I try to think of a different chocolate idea every year - not as much to choose from in the USA!
• Make & decorate heart sugar cookies with frosting & sprinkles/candy. We do this a lot - but not EVERY year, so I still can't qualify it as a "tradition." This year? CHECK!
• Cherry Ju Ju Hearts
• Papa Murphy's heart-shaped pizza for dinner
• I even bought a baking pan that has 5 big heart shapes in it - one year I made brownies in it, decorated them & put one on a dessert plate for every one's place at the dinner table.
• Cherry Ju Ju Hearts
• Mandarin Take-out for dinner - we made sure to CALL right at 5:00PM to order! We put down a Valentine-y table cloth, sprinkled valentine confetti on the table and called it good!
• Make homemade Valentines with card stock, die cuts, glue, & stickers and then give them away.
• Cherry Ju Ju Hearts
• Eat off/drink from Valentine-themed paper products for dinner.
• Have a "red" dinner. All the food is red - strawberries, red punch, apples, red grapes, spaghetti, red jell-o, etc. I really am NOT fond of spaghetti & jell-o, though, (together or separate) so I didn't really like this one. What other red foods are there?
• Cherry Ju Ju Hearts
• Made chocolate-dipped Oreos, pressed valentine sprinkles/decorations into the chocolate & put in a sucker stick - gave some away & kept some for us.
• I put together treat/goodie bags (that have hearts or something valentine-ish printed on them) and put them at every one's place setting - another year I put them on their beds.
• Cherry Ju Ju Hearts
• I'll spare you the details of ways Matt & I celebrate...;D Come to think of it, that Very Sexy cologne from Victoria's Secret I fed his addiction with DOES have a purpose after all!! :)
• When I was young, I remember our doorbell ringing all evening on Valentine's Day. When we'd answer it, no one was there, but there'd be a valentine(s) on the porch. This was always fun to pick them up and see who they were for. Without fail, sometime during the evening, there would be a PILE of presents, wrapped in red or pink tissue paper & tied up with ribbon, on the front porch when we answered the doorbell. These were from a secret "Cupid." I was always excited for this part of Valentine's Day, even though it was usually a package of underwear or socks for myself & each of my siblings - it was NEVER treats, my mom thought candy was "of the devil." (Thus, my current status as a sugar-aholic!) The thing that was so magical about it was that we thought it was my Mom doing it, but when we'd answer the door and squeal in delight, she'd be walking up behind us asking, "What is it?" So how could it be her? Come to find out later...she was sneaky...in one of our houses, there was a porch that went across the entire front and one of the bedroom windows was there, too. She'd climb out the window, leave the presents on the porch, ring the doorbell, and run back to climb in the window before the door was answered, walk back down the hall and be behind us when we brought them in! In the next house, there was actually a door that went into the garage at the other end of the porch, so she'd just go in there & enter the house through another door. Even though I LOVED this so much, I just don't think my kids would be thrilled with underwear - I feel like it takes SO MUCH MORE to please them - what happened to the simple pleasures of "the good 'ol days?"
• Matt & I have sometimes gone out on a date, depending on the year. I remember one very well - Valentine's Day 1996, we went out to Chili's. I was DUE with Ryan on 2/15- the next day (but didn't end up having the 10 lb. baby until 2/25!) So, you can IMAGINE how HUGE I was. Well, the seating hostess girl takes us to a booth...with an immovable table & bench. And I did NOT fit! Yep, it's true, I could not even slide in. And she says, "Oh, whoops! I thought we had pretty big booths." What was that girl thinkin'?!? Note to any restaurant staff out there - do not put pregnant chicks in a booth! We had to be re-assigned to a table with [forgiving] chairs! This year? Not lookin' too good since I still have to work. :(

As you may have gathered, I'm very fond of Cherry Ju Ju Hearts - they have to be the Sweet's brand, though. But, if you don't get them early enough, they sell out and are no where to be found! So, again, not a "tradition" since some years I was unfortunate enough not to get them. This year? CHECK! I got them 4 weeks ago in St. George!

Anywhoo...I'm sure y'all have some good nuggets of Valentine's Day wisdom...and I ask you to share!! Otherwise I'll have to come up with "PLAN O" or keep using one of my "tried-once-or-twice-&-bagged-it" methods. But, I think I'm ready for a TRADITION! (subject to Family's reaction, of course!)