Vintage Valentine’s Traditions
Ray’s elementary school and mine shared a Valentine’s tradition. Our teachers instructed us to decorate Valentine’s mailboxes at home and bring them to school on the day of our class Valentine’s Party. Each year I wrapped a shoe box with white tissue paper and decorated it with red construction paper hearts. Especially fun was using Elmer’s® glue to draw designs on my box, shaking lots of glitter on the glue, and then, after the glue dried, pouring off the glitter that didn’t stick.
On a recent Sunday afternoon, I gathered Ray, our daughter Mary Evelyn, and her children around Mama Sue’s pink kitchen table to make old-fashioned Valentines and tissue covered boxes. I pulled out rubber stamps, red and pink stamp pads, stickers, white and colored paper, markers, white and gold paper doilies, Elmer’s® glue, glitter, tape, and tissue paper. I also showed them examples of the kinds of purchased Valentines we children put in each other’s boxes. Instead of shoeboxes, I gave everyone empty facial tissue boxes. They worked great. With readymade holes in the top, the grandchildren didn’t have to cut slits in the top for other children to drop in Valentines.
The grandchildren were eager to make these crafts and to take their Valentines, boxes, and glitter pictures home, but these are Ray’s and my Valentines.
As we sat around that special table, Ray told us the special story of his Valentine’s Day in fourth grade. That year he covered his box with aluminum foil. When his class voted for Best Valentine Box, the girls voted for his. He won! Ray still glowed from the happy memory.
Valentine’s Day is the perfect time to celebrate love. Happy celebrating!
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ,
and the love of God,
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit,
be with you all.
2 Corinthians 13:14