Every year, couples around the world celebrate Valentine’s Day, and this celebration hails back to at least the 5th century when Pope Gelasius declared February 14 St. Valentine’s Day. Who was Saint Valentine? There are three potential saints who might be linked to this holiday, but many of us favor one particular legend:
Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret.
“Valentine’s Day 2024: Origins, Background & Traditions.” History.com, January 19, 2024. https://www.history.com/topics/valentines-day/history-of-valentines-day-2.
On top of that, back in those Middle Ages, “it was commonly believed in France and England that February 14 was the beginning of birds’ mating season, which added to the idea that the middle of Valentine’s Day should be a day for romance.”
Now, some point out that the holiday may have been introduced to counteract or subsume the Roman fertility festival of Lupercalia, but let’s face it: by now, your average person has zero idea what Lupercalia is but certainly knows about Valentine’s Day. So I’m not bothered that the dates overlapped at some point or that the choice of date to celebrate St. Valentine might have involved practical considerations.
What I definitely like about the legend of St. Valentine’s is the emphasis not merely on romance but on marriage—the relationship that should include a lifetime of romance. You know, in between paying bills, doing laundry, and cleaning up after your kids. But that romance stuff can make the more boring stuff more doable.
With all that in mind, today I wanted to provide readers a quick-and-easy way to access my Valentine’s Day ideas. With quite a few posts, you may want to scroll through and look at titles before deciding which ones to click!
Remember my caveat, though: If Valentine’s Day is important to your spouse, it should be important to you…because your spouse is important.
If Valentine’s Day is important to your spouse, it should be important to you…because your spouse is important.
TweetHow We Think About Valentine’s Day
- 6 Worst Things You Can Give for Valentine’s Day
- Do You Have to Celebrate Valentine’s Day?
- Is Valentine’s Day Too Much Pressure?
- Marriage Not Going Great? Go Ahead and Celebrate Valentine’s.
- Valentine’s Day for the Rest of Us
Gift Ideas
- What to Get Your Husband for V-Day
- 13 Sexy Valentine’s Gifts from Your Grocery Store
- 7 Sexy Valentine’s Gifts You Can Make
- “Go Big” Valentine’s Gifts for Your Spouse
- 8 Cool Valentine’s Gifts for Your Hot Hubby
- 8 Sweet Valentine’s Gifts for Your Spicy Wife
- 5 FREE Valentine’s Gifts for Your Spouse
- How to Make Your Valentine Gift Meaningful
What to Do for Valentine’s Day
- Hour-by-Hour Marital Intimacy on Valentine’s Day
- 7 Things You Should Say to Your Spouse on Valentine’s Day
- Does He Just Want Sex for Valentine’s Day?
- What I Really Want for Valentine’s Day (Maybe You Do Too)
- This Valentine’s Day, Give Extravagant Love
And For the Ultimate V-Day Gift…
That’s it! Maybe you can see why I didn’t write another ideas post this year. I have so many already! Best wishes celebrating in the way that you and your spouse do.
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My wife and I celebrate Valentine’s Day in a quiet fashion. We always have. We try to find the joy in Jesus first, but also realize that gifts or dinners out will never be all that important. Maybe she will put on some pretty lingerie, but maybe not. It is something that means a lot to me, but it is not the end all. I will put something special on the grill if we don’t go to Wednesday night Bible study, which we haven’t decided yet. We will enjoy time together, whether romantic time or just doing a puzzle together. Yes, we are simple. I hope my wife knows she is special every day, not just on Valentine’s Day.
Sounds nice.
So, no lingerie, no particular intimate moments, but it is all good. We went to the nearby Apple Store to look at an Apple Watch for the sweet wife. Her birthday recently passed and she has been wanting an Apple Watch. We can easily afford it these days without worrying about any debt. I made a roast in the slow cooker along with broccoli. She absolutely loved it, which is all that really matters. Now it is time for bed. It was a good day with sweet time with my bride. I may have wanted more, but I could have had much less, as in 2012 when I was deployed and barely got to talk to her.