Valentine’s Day is said to have originated in Europe and made its way to North America in the 19th century by British settlers. It originated as a Western Christian liturgical feast day honoring saints.
It is said that the popular hagiographical account of Saint Valentine of Rome inspired the holiday. Saint Valentine was imprisoned for performing weddings for soldiers who were forbidden to marry and for ministering to Christians who were persecuted under the Roman Empire. According to legend, during his imprisonment, Saint Valentine healed the daughter of his jailer, Asterius, and before his execution, he wrote her a letter signed "Your Valentine" as a farewell.
February 14 was first associated with romantic love in the 14th century, when the tradition of courtly love flourished. Today, Valentine's Day is recognized as a significant cultural and commercial celebration in many regions around the world, although it is not a public holiday in any country. More information can be found at: https://www.calendar-365.com/holidays/valentine's-day.html
According to an article in Psychology Today, expressing our love on Valentine’s Day with a focus on giving provides more pleasure and satisfaction than receiving. This is a special day set aside to make those we care about feel good and know they are appreciated. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/compassion-matters/201502/5-ways-express-your-love-valentine-s-day
One of the best things about Valentine’s Day is that it can remind us to show the people, organizations and causes we care about know how much we appreciate them on a daily basis. Each of us can adopt this same spirit and use the day to offer that extra bit of acknowledgment.
Here are some more things we can do to express our love and appreciation on Valentine’s Day and throughout the year.
- Volunteer at the local food bank packing food, serve a meal at the one of the local rescue missions, or bring Valentines to a retirement home or children’s hospital
- Make a donation to a local charity of your choice
- Send a note of appreciation and encouragement to individuals and organizations that support people, health and environment throughout the year
- Remember the postman, gas station attendant, bus driver, waiter and others who serve you with a valentine card and thank you note to show your appreciation
- Plan ahead to make donations of clothes, toys, blankets, hygiene products and household items to local nonprofits like Salvation Army, Goodwill, Rescue Mission and Homeless Shelters
- When buying valentine gifts buy organic flowers, fair trade chocolate and gifts of jewelry from organizations that give a percentage of their sales to nonprofit organizations. Organic rose petals are available at https://www.apothecary-shoppe.com/collections/valentine-wellness/products/red-rose-buds-petals-organic?utm_campaign=A-Shoppe%20Valentine%27s%202019&utm_content=83891509&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&hss_channel=fbp-156183592205
- Pay for coffee or a meal for the person behind you in line – paying it forward
- Volunteer for a disaster relief organization or the local hospital
- Send a Valentine Care Package to soldiers serving overseas through organizations like Operation Support Our Troops and Operation Gratitude http://www.osotamerica.org/ https://www.operationgratitude.com/
- Contact an organization like Hawaiian Legacy Reforestation Project to arrange to have a tree planted in honor of a special person in your life
Now that the ideas are flowing, it’s time to come up with your own. After all, the best Valentine’s gifts are the ones that come from your heart. The gift of wellness is the gift that keeps giving. Now is the perfect time to pamper someone special (or yourself!) with hand-selected wellness gifts from ACHS’s Apothecary Shoppe. You can choose from a curation of products specially selected in honor of Valentine's Day such as our Blissful Bath kit, Winter Blahs bath salts, or a bottle of our beautiful certified organic Rose Attar essential oil. Our DIY kits are perfect to prepare on your own, with friends, or as a fun activity with the kids! Two percent of all sales at the ACHS Ashoppe are donated to charity each year.
Photo credit: Nietjuh / Pixabay
