Valentine’s Day gifts – facts and trivia

January 30th, 2011

How will you be celebrating Valentine’s Day this year? Will you choose the traditional gifts like cards, candy, and flowers, or will you be more creative? Here are some interesting facts about popular Valentine’s Day gifts.

Cards

Greeting cards are the most common choice, and 58% of Americans plan to send at least one. Valentine’s Day is the second largest seasonal card-sending occasion of the year, next to Christmas. Here’s some card trivia from The History Channel.

• The oldest known Valentine’s Day card still in existence is part of the manuscript collection of the British Library in London, England. It was sent in 1415 from France’s Duke of Orléans to his wife when he was a prisoner in the Tower of London following the Battle of Agincourt.
• Early Valentine’s Day cards were mostly handwritten notes, and they gained popularity in the U.S. during the Revolutionary War.
• The first American publisher of valentines was printer and artist Esther Howland, who is considered the Mother of American Valentines. After receiving her first English valentine in 1847, she was fascinated with the idea of making similar valentines. She imported the necessary paper lace and floral decorations from England and beginning in 1849, made elaborate lace cards that sold at the time for as much as 35 dollars.
• Mass production started in the early 1900s, bringing prices down. Hallmark began producing affordable cards in 1913, and now offers more than 1600 different Valentine’s Day card designs. Many of the choices are now sold in combination with gifts or gift cards, or are available online as e-cards.

Candy

An estimated 45.8% of U.S. consumers will exchange Valentine’s Day candy, according to the National Confectioners Association. Most of it is chocolate, which has been associated with romance at least since Mexico’s Aztec Empire in the 15th century. More than 35 million heart-shaped boxes of chocolate will be sold for Valentine’s Day. And while 75% of chocolate purchases are made by women all year long, during the days and minutes before Valentine’s Day, 75% of the chocolate purchases are made by men. Japan is an exception, women are the ones who traditionally buy Valentine’s Day chocolate for their men.

In Norfolk, England, children believe that a character called ‘Jack’ Valentine knocks on the rear door of houses to leave sweets and presents for them. Another Valentine staple is little candy “conversation” hearts. More than 8 billion are produced for the holiday, stamped with messages like “BE MINE,” “KISS ME,” “CALL ME,” or “PUPPY LOVE.”

Flowers

Not surprising, 73% of the people who buy flowers for Valentine’s Day are men, while only 27% are women. But 15% of U.S. women send themselves flowers on Valentine’s Day. Flowers have been a romantic gift option since the 1700s, and the red rose has long been a traditional Valentine’s Day flower. It was the favorite rose of Venus, goddess of love. While the rose in all colors is still the most popular, lilies are now a close second choice because of their fragrance and long-lasting blooms, followed by other floral varieties from daisies to Chinese mums and orchids.

Other gift ideas

These days there are even Valentine-themed dog biscuits and toys; about 3% of pet owners give Valentine’s Day gifts to their pets. If you need more suggestions, the Buxr community offered some great ideas in this discussion topic. Also check our Valentine’s post from last year for more ideas, from special meals to handmade personalized gifts that won’t cost you a lot of money.

Final thoughts

During the Middle Ages, Europeans believed that birds chose their mates each year on February 14, and research shows that most species mate for life. An old valentine custom from the same period also gave us a common expression. Young men and women drew names from a bowl to see who their valentines would be, and they wore these names on their sleeves for one week. So now when we say someone “wears their heart on their sleeve” it means that it’s easy for other people to know how they feel. Don’t forget to show your friends and loved ones how you feel about them this year with a thoughtful Valentine remembrance.

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