There are three things I can count on for Valentines Day:
- The wife and I are going out to dinner.
- I will buy her some red roses.
- I will give her some chocolate (it should be dark chocolate).
I will not let her cook dinner on Valentines Day, although we might bring in dinner that night because of the coronavirus rules.
Long ago, the church we went to (Memorial Bible Church) had a Valentines Day banquet. Usually, it was catered (barbecue was my favorite) and we coaxed the youth group into serving us. We arranged for some live musical entertainment. We set up a backdrop and someone would take Valentine pictures of the couples.
That was nice.
It was interesting because one year, we had a live band that was playing some snappy tunes and one by one, several couples got up to slow dance.
This sent shockwaves through the crowd. I’m sure the pastor and some board members got phone calls later complaining about “dancing” church building.
It was a Bible Church and there was no written rule to say you couldn’t dance in the building or at the Valentines’ Banquet. We did have a rule that if you wanted to rent the facilities for a wedding, you couldn’t serve alcohol at the reception. That made sense because you didn’t want renters getting drunk and causing problems.
But dancing is actually in the Bible and there is no verse that states that Christians can’t dance. My lovely wife and I did not get up to dance for two reasons:
- We didn’t want to offend any of the older folks, some of whom grew up in churches where dancing was forbidden, and,
- I’m not a trained dancer. (That is not to say that I couldn’t be taught to dance – I just never had the occasion or necessity. I did dance with my only daughter at her wedding and that was nothing to brag about).
In the good old days, sometimes my wife and I would go to dinner and a movie on Valentines Day. Not this year. Going to the movies is “not in our wheelhouse” as they say. We have become so used to watching movies at home that we haven’t gone to a theater in almost one year.
I love going to movies in a theater because it seems like a special occasion. It justifies eating a bunch or popcorn or a hot dog. Because of my work, I used to get invited to early screening of movies – mostly Christian films. That has stopped.
Here’s a tip for husbands: Buy your wife’s Valentine card as soon as possible. I do. If you go to Walmart or Walgreen’s the night before Valentines Day, you will have problems. If there are any cards left, they are the ones no one else saw fit to give to a loved one.
Also, for you newlywed husbands, don’t buy a funny card or an off-color card for your wife – even if she has a great sense of humor. Get a sentimental card. She will appreciate it, trust me.
And most wives appreciate flowers on Valentines Day. I always buy roses and I buy then a few days early for several reasons:
- They are not sold out.
- She gets to enjoy them longer (it seems).
- They are much cheaper. (Back when we first got married, a few times I bought a Valentines’ card and candy on February 15 because they were half price and money was tight.)
If your wife tells you she is watching her figure so don’t buy her chocolates this Valentines Day – don’t listen. Buy a modest box and then volunteer to help her eat some.
Giving a card, flowers, candy and a steak dinner was what guys did when we dated back in the 1970s. It was standard operating practice. It may seem like a routine but it was liberating because you knew what was expected and it wasn’t hard to deliver.
When my daughter was born, I bought her Valentine candy every year. I haven’t since she got married a few years ago and I have no idea what my son-in-law does for her for Valentines Day.
My wife used to buy Valentines candy and cards for our two sons when they were growing up and that we nice.
When I was in school at Burbank Elementary back in the 1960s, our class would make Valentine cards for everyone in class. I didn’t think much of it but I liked getting some candy.
So, this year I will buy some red roses, a sentimental card, some dark chocolate candy and buy my wife a nice steak dinner for Valentines Day. It’s nice to have a holiday devoted to love and it’s good to know that decades’ old traditions still are appreciated.