"kisses are a better fate than wisdom" - e.e. cummings

Maybe its unwise for a chocolatier to advocate for a less commercialized Valentine’s Day. It is my second busiest holiday, after the Christmas season, and I’m really quite grateful for that. But as a lover of love, it breaks my red-doily heart that people reject the one national holiday devoted to love-the highest of human emotions because Hallmark & De Beers have cast their dark shadows over it. I realize, too, that Valentine’s Day often leaves single folk feeling, well, singled out. But don’t you remember those construction paper-wrapped shoe boxes jammed with sweet notes and sweet-tarts that made your day when you were a kid? Valentines for everyone you sat near, everyone you played cats cradle with, each kid in your class? At least on Valentine’s Day we loved our neighbors and told them so.

What if we brought it back? What if we reclaimed this day as one for sweet-hearted mischief, home-made love notes and sugar cookies for all the people we love? What if we took this day as a chance to woo each other, not by dropping dollars but by spending time?

I am dedicating this blog post to a couple of people in my life who do just that.
My friend Chenise recently hosted a little get together she called ‘Sweet Fangs’, inviting a small group of old friends for a lovely evening of giggles, wine, veggie lasagna and Valentines! There was glitter, there were feathers galore, construction paper, paper doilies, old-fashioned pricing tags and a few hot-glue gun blisters (of course). One gal even taught us how to make heart-shaped cake pops! We all came home that night with cheeks achy from laughing and a fist full of love notes for our sweet-hearts, friends and grannies.

Casey Filbey, of the band Casey and the Tall Boys is my other source of hand-made Valentine’s inspiration. She recently told me about her charming plans to woo a special someone she’s got her eye on with, what else, music! With the help of a little thing called a pling-plong mechanism, she’s making her own music box (sans box) that plays one of her original songs. I loved this idea so much, I might ‘borrow’ it myself! I'm not much of a musician (I have written 1 1/2 songs in my life and no, you can't hear them) but I think I might use one of the songs my husband has written for me through the years.

And you? What love-mischief are you up to? What kisses await you? Share your Valentine’s plans, memories, and ideas. Hand-made, with love by you!