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Good fun and frivolous, Valentine’s Day is one of our favorites for entertaining.  The components, in addition the sentimentality and feelings expressed among lovers, partners and family members, provide opportunities for a wide range of celebration, all the way from card exchanges among school children to major gifts of jewelry.  Like most of our “holidays,”  Valentine’s Day is becoming a major landmark on the social calendar.  Of course, in addition to the celebration, there is always the challenge to be creative in how to observe the day, whether it will be an evening out in a favorite restaurant, a special dinner at home that may even include the children, and gifts to suit the occasion and the recipients.

If “dining in” is the choice - à deux or perhaps a dinner party for friends the weekend before, the theme can be created easily with color and a few hearts.  It is interesting that so many of our holidays are color specific – obviously red for St. Valentine’s Day.  But, the simplest of table décor accented with red - in the floral centerpiece, with table linens or tableware - can set the scene.  Even the standard white napkin can be tied with a luxurious red satin ribbon with a rose tucked in the bow to convey the message.  This is not to say that a grand party need forego the opportunity for heightened resourcefulness.  The menu of the evening is another message.  While it need not be red each course, accents of red caviar in the center of the soup and salmon or lobster for the main course are thematic reinforcement.  Our favorite is the dessert course when you can go all out with a heart shaped cake, a wonderful strawberry mouse, or a strawberry topped cake.  If desserts are not your forte, the city’s fabulous pastry artists will oblige.  Just check our Source selection on Sweets.  Turning the pages in a book of floral design or a cookbook with holiday themes is a great place for impromptu suggestions.  If yours will be a weekend dinner party, send a special Valentine-themed invitation, even if the party is for only a few.  It will establish the theme with the opening of the envelope. 

The account of St. Valentine's Day is an interesting one and, like many of our holidays, has its roots in religious observations mixed with ancient roots and lore.  It makes for interesting cultural history. St. Valentine's Day - and its patron saint - are shrouded in mystery. To obscure the issue, the Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine, or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred.  One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served in Rome during the third century.  When Emperor Claudius II decided that unmarried men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men - his source for Roman legions.  Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued secretly to perform marriages for young lovers.  When Valentine's actions were discovered, Claudius ordered his death.  Martyrdom enhanced his image and, by the Middle Ages, the romantic Valentine was one of the most popular saints in England and France.

There are three myths surrounding the different saints.  Romance, color, cards and flowers may all be attributed to the martyred Valentine who defied Claudius.  For those who like the lore of forbidden love, you probably prescribe to the version of the priest who married couples against the will of the Emperor Claudius II. While in jail, Valentine ironically fell in love with the jailor's daughter.  Their love was short-lived as his death sentence soon came up.  Before he was beheaded, he gave the girl a note and one red rose; hence, the very first Valentine came with a flower.

The giving of chocolates may not be as ancient a habit.  Wrapping up one's affections in a heart-shaped box tied with a big red bow has been a common Valentine's Day practice since the late 19th century, but chocolate is a relatively recent addition to the love-struck holiday scene. Before the advent of affordable, mass-produced chocolate treats, most celebrants made do with an array of other sugary confections, including marshmallows, candied cashews, jellied fruit, caramels, toffee and pound cakes.

In 1902, according to the New York Times,  heart-shaped candy boxes had become so popular that the paper didn't attempt to list all the available varieties. "It would be impossible to mention all the pretty conceits appropriate for valentines to be found at the confectioner. Heart-shaped boxes are among the most elaborate. They may be had of a size to hold five pounds, or so small that they will scarcely contain an eighth of a pound," the Times reported. 

Needless to say, the giving of chocolate is big business.  It is stated that more than 58 million pounds of chocolate will be sold during the week of Valentine's Day, amounting to sales of $34 million.  One hundred ten million roses will be bought and delivered in the three days leading up to Valentine’s Day, the biggest flower occasion for the industry.

But the vast majority of women expected candy on Valentine's Day, a preference in keeping with the nation's tastes. In the first years of the 20th century, domestic candy consumption doubled, with Americans, in 1910, spending $500,000 on sweets - and that was before most candy fans had added chocolate to their repertoires.

Apparently, the economy will not have a negative  impact on Valentine’s Day. The National Retail Federation estimates record spending this year for Valentine’s Day, and we doubt the estimates include at home entertaining costs beyond the centerpieces and small favors, such as small boxes of truffles for each guest. Last year, Valentine purchases came to $17.6 billion. The increase may rise about 9 percent this year.  Of that, 50 percent will be spent on chocolate, 31 percent on flowers and 19 percent on jewelry.  In addition, consumer spending on dining out is expected to increase. Please check our sources for Sweets, Flowers and Restaurants.  Regretfully, we do not cover jewelry, but our Source section on Kitchen and Tableware will have the top sources for entertaining-related gifts.

What we liked around town for Valentine’s Day that fits our theme:

• The center table at Madison in Highland Park Village filled with bibelots of all size and prices  for Valentine’s Day.  The red ribbon-tied gifts accented with small heart ornaments caught our eye.

• Red linens at the Linen Boutique to set the dinner scene.

• Flowers and plants everywhere - at Avant Garden, Nicholson Hardie, Cebolla, and Garden Gate.

• The table setting at Neiman Marcus, North Park with red coral embroidery on white napkins, with Kim Seybert’s red coral place mats peeking out from under the plates.

• Chocolate selections at Paper and Chocolate.

• A heart-shaped cake pan at Williams Sonoma.

• Herend's Chinese Bouquet Raspberry pattern available at Neiman Marcus, Madison and the Ivy House.

• Vibrant red chiavari chairs at P.O.S.H. Couture Rentals for the dinner party that grows beyond your number of dining chairs.
  
  

Happy Valentine's Day! with photo ideas for our future articles. We would like to know what was special for your celebration. If you will be celebrating an event in the spring, consider Washington D.C. for the center of government, culture, great food and hotels. Earmark last month’s Destination D.C. - The Best of Spring.

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