Valentine Parties

Valentine parties have always appealed to me. As a kid in grade school, I remember looking forward to Feb. 14 with great anticipation. Many hours were spent making home-made valentines for special friends in school. Since it cost too mush to give a valentine to everyone in the school, we just bought or made enough for our own friends. February being a winter month, we often had a big blizzard and blustery day, and could not go to school that day, as we had to walk on unplowed country roads. That was a great disappointment. I saved all my valentines from year to year. I still have them and enjoy looking at them from time to time and reminiscing.

A few years ago, I revived this old custom in my home. My husband and I had valentine parties for the family and a few friends. There were about 14 of us living in Wausau who could attend. Invitations were sent out with the appropriate valentine sentiment, and all who came to the party had to follow the rules. They had to wear red and bring a home-made valentine. For the occasion, Adolph made for his wife Norma, a red dress, trimmed with pretty white lace from an old slip. My husband had nothing red to wear, so he wore a red ribbon pinned on his shirt. We exchanged these home-made valentines, played games, and took pictures. After an evening of fun, we all enjoyed a "valentine lunch". We all looked forward to doing this every year. I'm not sure whether the children or the grown-ups enjoyed themselves the most!