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A Different Valentine’s Day for Single Women
By Dr. Karen Gail Lewis

Remember in first grade when you had a crush on little Jimmy? Starting February first, you struggled with whether you should make him a valentine card. But what if he didn’t make you one! Your other big worry was if little Suzie would give you one. They were equally big worries. And, would you get as many as Janie?

Valentine’s day has taken on an entirely different meaning now that you are an adult. Now, it’s not do you have a lot of friends who will give you a card. Nor do you think twice if Susan (no longer Suzie) does or doesn’t give you one. The only remnant from your childhood Valentine’s Day is whether James will give you one. Over these few decades, the emphasis for you has shifted from something you shared with your friends to ROMANCE.

While there are a number of beliefs about how Valentine’s Day got started, the more common ones are connected to murder and rape. One version says Valentine’s Day is named for a Christian saint who was murdered for marrying men and women at a time the Emperor needed men to go to war. If married, goes this story, men wouldn’t want to leave their families. The emperor needed single soldiers so he killed the man who was marrying the couples.

Another version, going back to pagan days, says Valentine’s Day actually derived from a lottery that was held for young men (maybe teenagers) to win a young woman (maybe a teenager) for the male’s sexual pleasure.

You can choose any story you prefer just as you can choose how to relate to Valentine’s Day. It can be a day of shame because you do not love and are not loved by a special man, or you can honor this day by acknowledging those people who make your life better. Back in elementary school, you knew Valentine’s Day was not about lovers, but about love and caring and friendship.

If you are single, Valentine’s Day ranks up there as one of the two most hated holidays, along with New Years. Too many women say they “hide out” on February 14. (If you are married, this day can be cause for divorce when husband either forgets to buy you something special or has his secretary get you a generic card.)

The commercialization of the day contributes to making singles feel left out, such as hotels offering special room rates with champagne and chocolates, florist’s ads show men beaming with a bouquet for their “belles.” A client recently told me she can’t enjoy the day because she lacks a necessary ingredient — a man.

As long as you connect romance with February 14th, you are at the mercy of a man not being in your life. On the other hand, you can take charge of the day, returning it to the meaning it had for you when you were a child - a day of showing your friends you like them, and you care enough to make (remember doing that?!) them a special card.

Dr. Karen Gail Lewis is founder of Unique Retreats for Single Women, weekends bringing small groups of women together to shift their thinking about being single in a society prejudiced against single women. She’s a marriage and family therapist, author of With or Without a Man: Single Women Taking Control of Their Lives and other books about single and married women. Join her for a FREE teleseminar on Unspoken Truths About Being Single in a Married World. Register at http://www.DrKarenGailLewis.com

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How to Have a Special Valentine’s Day This Year
By Andy Gibson

This year send your valentine’s a free e-card. Free e-cards come in may different genres, so there is sure to be something suitable.

Valentine’s Day is one of the most popular holidays, probably because its theme applies to people the world over. Anyone affected by love has a reason to celebrate on this date! The holiday most likely originated from the Roman celebration of Lupercalia, an annual rite of passage festival for young men.

The names of young women were placed in a box and randomly selected by the youths. The two would be partners for the length of a year, when another lottery would be held.

This ritual was established around the 4th century B.C.E. and lasted at least for several centuries before it was stripped of its pagan characteristics and a commemoration of lovers through the exchange of heartfelt notes gradually emerged in its place.

During his rule, the Roman Emperor Claudius II issued an edict that banned marriage, because he believed that the demands of a family compromised a soldier’s dedication and motivation.

The contemporary celebration takes its name from church legend, according to which a priest by the name of Valentine conducted secret marriage ceremonies to join illicit lovers.

He was promptly arrested and put to death on February 14, 269 or 270 C.E. While imprisoned, the priest inexplicably restored the sight of the prison guard’s daughter, and left a parting note for her signed “from your Valentine” prior to his execution, hence the term for the messages of love given on this day.

St. Valentine’s identity remains questionable due to conflicting biographical information, but the essence of St. Valentine’s Day as an observance of love is undisputed.

The practices commonly associated with Valentine’s Day can also be ascribed to the medieval belief popular in Great Britain and France that birds pick their partners on February 14th.

Formal Valentines began to be circulated in approximately the 14th or 15th centuries in those countries, and the first commercially printed cards most likely appeared in the 18th century.

Those Valentines were delicate crafts made out of paper, decorated with ribbons and lace, depicting birds and other natural symbols. Write a love story or poem for your Valentine, and win her or his heart.

Give the person you love the gift of your time, after all that is what they really want! Work on communicating how you feel every day and sharing your love openly whether with cute gifts, writing sweet notes, leaving special treats in your beloved’s path, or just calling one another more often.

Be attentive to your partner’s needs and get in touch with your romantic side, you might even enjoy it! If you are still looking, use Valentine’s Day as a chance to flirt, open up, and possibly find who you’re looking for.

For instance, you can carry some candies with flirtatious messages with you, and use them as an icebreaker with those around you in any situation.

Another prominent symbol of this holiday is the god of love, Cupid as he was known by the Romans. A myth about his own adventures in love is a great story to tell in honor of the occasion.

Psyche was an unparalleled beauty, and attracted suitors that lavished her with gifts and attentions usually reserved for the gods. She began to draw attention away from Venus, and the goddess became incensed.

Turning to Cupid, her powerful son, she explained about Psyche and instructed him to make her fall in love with the most hideous creature in the universe. Instead, Cupid himself became deeply enamored of the gorgeous woman, becoming her lover and husband unbeknownst to Venus, on the condition that Psyche would never set eyes on him.

Coerced by her two sisters, who were overcome with jealousy at her riches, happiness, and divine spouse, Psyche decided to defy her husband’s demand and got a glimpse of him while he slept. He woke and left with the words, “Love cannot live without trust.”

Psyche was devastated, but decided to prove her devotion by approaching Venus, and throwing herself on the goddess’ mercy. Venus was deeply angered by news of Psyche’s and Cupid’s marriage but accepted Psyche’s services as a servant and put her through a series of perilous trials as a result of which Cupid, who had meanwhile decided to forgive Psyche, intervened.

This love story concludes with Cupid and Psyche, or love and the soul, united by love, and the marriage made official by the council of the gods.

Millions of free e-cards are sent each year, send one this year to make your valentines feel that bit more special.

Andrew Gibson is MD of Greeting-Cards.com. It has thousands of free ecards to choose from for birthdays and all occasions. Many people now send free e-cards to celebrate birthdays and select them from thousands of free e-cards

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Valentine’s Day Decorations
By Sean Carter

Love decorates the mood every February 14 and the Valentine’s Day decorations speak the heart for you ! So all you have to do this Valentine’s Day is to make the ambiance irresistibly romantic and set the decorations warm, snug and love-ly. Whether it be a Valentine’s Day party or just a cozy dinner date with your beloved, the Valentine’s Day decorations are not to be ignored. The decorations, of course, help you get into the feel of the day and set the ball rolling. Valentine’s Day decorations can be done with flowers, ribbons, candies or just with paper and cloth. No matter which way you do it, the decorations for Valentine’s Day should just be perfect and help set the stage for a memorable celebration. So if you need a little help on how to kick off the Valentine’s Day decorations, read on.

The first thing that should be kept in mind before laying your hands on Valentine’s Day decorations is that red or shades of red is the color to go for. So make sure you have lots of red, crimson or pink around. The flowers, curtains, bed-spreads, table-spreads, carpets, balloons, and even cutlery and other decorative pieces can be in red just because it’s Valentine’s Day. With so much of red around, all the blues are sure to disappear soon only to leave you with a rosy feeling of love, luck and joy ! Now for some romance and mystery—fill water into big glass bowls and float a few heart shaped candles in them. You can also strew rose petals around the candles to couple up the warm glow of the candles with the sweet aroma of roses. These make wonderful Valentine’s Day decorations if placed on the centre table or next to the bed or better still on the dinner table. Now if you are a little tight on budget, then this Valentine’s Day decoration idea is just the thing for you. Many flowers are damaged while shipping and florists often sell the petals at really low rates. So you can buy lots of these petals and leave them carelessly around the home—maybe near the bath tub or at the doorway. Or you can just make a trail from the door to the bedroom for your valentine to walk on when he/ she returns home. Isn’t that good for a simple and affordable Valentine’s Day decoration?

At the Valentine’s Day party, arrange for red punch and pink lemonade. Food sure add to your Valentine’s Day decorations, don’t they ? So check out how the menu adds a facelift to the décor of the day—have a few heart-shaped cookies, candies, pizzas, sandwiches and of course that big, heart shaped chocolate cake. Now decorate the dinner table with a red table cloth and have silver tableware placed on it to enhance the look. To take it a step forward, make sure you dump a lot of petals and heart-shaped red confetti around the plates, on the entire table. You can also stick heart shaped little cutouts on the red table-cloth to give a personalized touch to your Valentine’s Day decoration. Any party decoration is incomplete without balloons, ribbons and streamers. Same holds true for Valentine’s Day decorations. So do get loads of those chic streamers, balloons and red ribbons on February 14. Try to get many heart shaped balloons and hang them from the ceiling. Interlace the balloons with streamers and have a totally dressed up room on Valentine’s Day ! And when talking about Valentine’s Day decorations, how can one leave out the flowers ? Yes, flowers make for the prettiest decorations on any occasion and so are a favorite with most people. Since it’s Valentine’s Day, roses should top the charts, but you can also deck up your room with other bright flowers with a perceptibly nice fragrance such as hydrangeas and hyacinths. Here come the candies now.

Candies are the most coveted items on the Valentine’s Day list for sure. And so include them in your Valentine’s Day decorations as well. Take long wine glasses and stuff them with assorted candies and place them on the centre table. Not only will it add a dash of color to the room, but it will also keep the theme of sensuality going. Now if you have a child at home, dress him/ her up as cupid. Ask your guests to come early, before the bed time of the child. Make the kid greet the guests with a miniature bow and arrow. Not only will this be the cutest piece of Valentine’s Day decoration, it’ll also make the child feel special and involved. Gift baskets make good centerpieces too. And at the end of the party, give out the gifts from the basket as party favors. Make the basket attractive by adding lots of Valentine’s Day goodies like candies, teddies, fruit cakes, etc. Cover it with ribbons and confetti and transform it into a beautiful Valentine’s Day decoration. Deck up your house this February 14 and have a dreamy Valentine’s Day ! Let the decorations do the talking for you. Try out these Valentine’s Day decorations and romance up your house. And you can combine these decorations with your own decorations and wait for the accolades to flow in ! Just enjoy the beauty around and feel beautiful inside with your loved ones by your side.

Sean Carter writes on holidays, Valentine’s Day and world events. He also writes on family, relationships, celebrations, religion, love and friendship. He is a writer with special interest in ecard industry and writes for 123greetings.com. He is an
active blogger at Valentines Day Blog.

123greetings.com.

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Romantic Interiors for Valentine’s Day!
By Melissa Galt

With Valentine’s day just around the corner, thoughts turn to romance. To set the right mood throughout the year, here are some simple decorating tips and a handful of extra special touches to dress your house. So whether you are planning a Valentine’s Day bash or some intimate time for two, check out these romantic ideas.

For lighting, that mood maker extraordinaire, consider changing your white light bulbs to pink (available in most grocery stores and 3-way too.) These cast a softer, gentle glow and will be sure to bring complements from those nearby. In fact, my favorite tale is from a client who mentioned that her husband commented almost daily for a week on how great she looked, and she never let him in on the secret of pink bulbs!

A collection of whimsical or more traditionally elegant angels, cherubs, and cupids can be delightfully fun to create. Consider printed pillows, woven throws, porcelain figurines, classic framed prints and the like. These can be gathered and dedicated in one room or creatively displayed throughout your home. They have a way of lifting one’s heart during a potentially dreary time of year, and reminding us of those closest to us.

Treat yourself to flowers. And, yes, do go beyond the grocery store! There are not only florists, but great sources on-line and in catalogues for a wealth of pretty posies. Top picks include Calyx and Corolla, 1-800-Flowers, Gardener’s Eden, Pick of the Crop in Alpharetta, and Meme’s in Roswell. While roses are the original symbol of romance, tulips in white, red, and pink or even a bouquet of carnations can brighten any room. Paperwhites and other bulbs will bring a welcome touch of Spring, as well. Consider using paper or silk flowers if live aren’t your bag.

For those with a sweet tooth there is always a treat for holiday munching. Consider well placed candy dishes, heart-shaped of course, in crystal, silver, or ceramic. Whether filled with chocolate kisses, or pastel melts, it adds a sense of festivity and sweetness to the season. Get the kids involved with baking special Valentine’s sugar cookies, heart shapes with pink and red sugar sprinkle topping to share with family and friends.

Honor those close to your heart. Choose favorite pictures of your children, spouse, significant other, or friends and group them in heart shaped frames. Or create a collage on cork board of the same pictures, in a heart shape with a ribbon border. You can even make your own frames by cutting out hearts from construction paper (red, of course) and taping or gluing pictures to each. These can be put on the refrigerator with magnets, or pinned to a bulletin board. They can even be strung on decorative yarn and hung on the mantel.

Stairrails, mantels, mirrors and more can all be festooned with ribbon in white, pink, and red, reflecting the heart of the holiday! Papier mache cupids and angels are now available in a variety of sizes and finishes (gold, silver, or unfinished) and can be perched strategically on newell posts, mantel corners, the top of cabinets and such.

If red, pink, and white aren’t your favorite colors, go with gold or silver, but do promote the sense of romance with sparkle and elegance. What makes you feel romantic?? These days the opportunities are endless, take advantage of the day and make it special.

Melissa Galt, Lifestyle Designer, Speaker, & Author, is the owner of Melissa Galt, Inc., a full service interior design firm based in Atlanta. She has been decorating clients’ homes all over the Southeast for more than a decade, making their interior visions come true. She speaks to audiences nationally, on how to use design as the catalyst for “creating the life you’ve always dreamed of”. Melissa is the creator of Design Destinations, a free monthly guide to designing your signature life. To sign up for her FREE monthly newsletter, visit http://www.melissagalt.com/

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Valentines Day Fundraisers
By Kimberly Reynolds

Valentines Day is a great time for fundraising, particularly for school groups and small nonprofits. Here are four quick ways to raise funds with easy Valentines Day fundraisers.

Sell Roses
One of the easiest ways to raise funds on Valentines Day is to sell roses. You can offer single roses, a full dozen, various flower bouquets, or delicious chocolate roses.

Each one can usually be sold at 100% markup for a 50% profit margin. You can source roses from supermarkets with flower departments, wholesale florists, or websites that specialize in bulk shipments from the major rose-growing areas on the West Coast.

Obviously, men will make up the bulk of your target market for flower buyers, so you should gear your marketing to them. You’ll need to pre-sell your roses or stake out some high-traffic areas to reach a lot of last-minute guys.

Chocolate roses are a great seller in schools and workplaces. They are a great gift that fits a good niche on Valentines Day. They are unique and generate a lot of interest. They are also a safe gift to give for non-romantic purposes, and they never go to waste.

Take advance orders whenever possible and have a central pickup point. You can also increase your results by providing extra services on Valentines Day such as gift delivery, singing telegrams, offering last-minute roses in high-traffic locations, etc.

Create Gift Baskets
It’s easy to create gift baskets for your group to pre-sell for Valentines Day. Simply go to a craft store such as Michaels and purchase the quantity of baskets you’ll need. Then do several shopping runs to major wholesale clubs like BJ’s, Sam’s Club, and Costco for your gift basket contents.

Create some baskets with a selection of wine, cheese, chocolates, coffee, candy, gourmet biscuits, etc. Give them each a theme and establish a variety of price ranges.

Once you have your samples ready, you can start pre-selling. Use a simple order taker form and collect payment upfront. Then, create the rest of the baskets needed to fulfill your advance orders.

Use a central pickup point or offer local delivery or UPS shipping for an extra charge.

Auction Valentines Day Gifts
Another great Valentines Day fundraiser is to conduct auctions of gifts appropriate for the holiday. Your choices include running an event-based auction, conducting a silent auction, hosting an online auction on your website, or listing your gifts on eBay. You can even do combinations of these four auction styles.

Some simple items to auction are the gift baskets mentioned above. You can also offer restaurant gift certificates, specialty items, business services, or donated items.

High-ticket items that you can offer might include spa visits, limo rides, romantic weekend getaways, and a night on the town at a gourmet restaurant.

Don’t forget to offer gifts for men such as sports memorabilia, event tickets, bottles of wine, etc.

Raffle Themed Prizes
Another way to raise funds is to sell raffle tickets. You can offer a selection of prizes such as those Valentines Day gifts previously mentioned. Or, you can even include some with a different theme or timing such as ski vacations or a condo stay with a week at the beach.

Raffles offer an easier way to reach a larger potential audience than you might draw for an event or for various types of auctions.

A raffle allows you to put a larger sales force to work than you can with other methods, but be sure to check your local regulations regarding selling raffle tickets.

Good luck with your Valentines Day fundraisers!

Kimberly Reynolds writes for national publications about school fundraisers, ideas for Valentines Day fundraisers and nonprofit fundraiser events. Find more elementary school fundraiser ideas on her website, FundraiserHelp.com

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