Happy Valentine's Day!

Just a quick one to wish everyone a Happy Valentine's Day! I don't care whether people think it is a cheesy or commercially driven holiday, I have always loved Valentine's since I was a little girl! Maybe it has something to with the crafts, cards and candy? Not like I like any of those things! Here are 14 (for the 14th) Valentine's Day trivia facts I found for fun (from the Internet, so not sure the validity...but a fun read none the less):

1. 15% of U.S. women send themselves flowers on Valentine's Day.

 

2. 73% of people who buy flowers for Valentine's Day are men, while only 27 percent are women.

 

3. About 1 billion Valentine's Day cards are exchanged each year. That's the largest seasonal card-sending occasion of the year, next to Christmas.

4. About 3% of pet owners will give Valentine's Day gifts to their pets.

5. Hallmark has over 1330 different cards specifically for Valentine's Day.

6. In the Middle Ages, young men and women drew names from a bowl to see who their valentines would be. They would wear these names on their sleeves for one week. To wear your heart on your sleeve now means that it is easy for other people to know how you are feeling.

7. Only the U.S., Canada, Mexico, France, Australia and the U.K. celebrate Valentine's Day.

8. Teachers will receive the most Valentine's Day cards, followed by children, mothers, wives, and then, sweethearts. Children ages 6 to 10 exchange more than 650 million Valentine's cards with teachers, classmates, and family members.

9. In the United States, 64 percent of men do not make plans in advance for a romantic Valentine's Day with their sweethearts.

10. The 17th century a hopeful maiden ate a hard-boiled egg and pinned five bay leaves to her pillow before going to sleep on Valentine's eve. It was believed this would make her dream of her future husband.

11. The first American publisher of valentines was printer and artist Esther Howland. During the 1870s, her elaborate lace cards were purchased by the wealthy, as they cost a minimum of 5 dollars - some sold for as much as 35 dollars. Mass production eventually brought prices down, and the affordable "penny valentine" became popular with the lower classes.

12. The most fantastic gift of love is the Taj Mahal in India. It was built by Mughal Emperor Shahjahan as a memorial to his wife, who died in childbirth. Work on the Taj began in 1634 and continued for almost 22 years, required the labor of 20,000 workers from all over India and Central Asia.

13. Valentine's Day is big business. Consumers will spend an average of $77.43 on Valentine's Day gifts this year. E-commerce retailers expect to rack up about $650 million in sales of food, candy, flowers, and other Valentine's Day gifts. Of that amount about $350 million will be for gifts and flowers and another $45 million will be spent on food (including chocolate) and wine.

14. One single perfect red rose framed with baby's breath is referred to by some florists as a "signature rose," and is the preferred choice for many for giving on Valentine's Day, anniversary, or birthday.

Hope you enjoyed some interesting Valentine's facts! Here is what I got for Valentine's this year:

My favorite restaurant and something to look forward too; thank you to my husband and best friend! I am so blessed to have the life I do! Have a great week everyone!

:) C