Happy Valentine's Day

Let's see what Wikipedia has to say about Valentine's Day:

"Saint Valentine's Day, commonly known as Valentine's Day, or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is observed on February 14 each year. It is celebrated in many countries around the world, although it remains a working day in most of them.

"St. Valentine's Day began as a . . .celebration of one or more early Christian saints named Valentinus." 

"The day was first associated with romantic love in the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the High Middle Ages, when the tradition of courtly love flourished. By the 15th century, it had evolved into an occasion in which lovers expressed their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery, and sending greeting cards (known as "valentines"). Valentine's Day symbols that are used today include the heart-shaped outline, doves, and the figure of the winged Cupid. Since the 19th century, handwritten valentines have given way to mass-produced greeting cards."

From the American Profile magazine, I found:

"Esther Howland, often referred to as the Mother of the American Valentine, propelled Valentine greeting cards into an industry when she began making and selling cards in the 1840s and'50s in her family's book and stationery store in Worcester, Mass."

Here's an interesting fact - Valentine's Day is second only to Christmas as the most popular occasion to send greeting cards.

Hope you have a wonderful Valentine's Day!  Thanks for stopping by today ~~ Happy Stampin' and Scrappin'!