General Chat

In the old days you sent a Valentine anonymously to someone you fancied.

Nowdays most seem to people with whom one is already in a relationship and not anonymously.

I believe that the excitement, mystery and romance has gone out of it.

Any views?

I agree Brian. It was great fun not knowing (or pretending not to know) who they were from and much more romantic. Bring back romance I say.

It was quite fun looking around your acquaintances to figure outt who might have sent one. I didnt think so many people bothered these days, just another marketing ploy.

Just seen this thread, had to share .
I had my Valentines card & gift's today !. lol my daft hubby thought it was today ..

Brian, you certainly know which questions to ask to start ones brain remembering the past.
My first valentine was hand written and I was about 12, my parents were not overly pleased. i never did find out who sent it, which became them as the years passed but when I reached 18 I did not have any more from the mystery sender.
I can recall hat when attending a catholic high school which only had 3 or 4 teachers who were not nuns my friends and I sent valentine cards to the spinsters who taught us never stopping to think about why these people were spinsters. years later I learned that the 4 of them had suffered a great loss when their betrothed were killed in action. If only I could have said sorry.
On a happy note I did send a card to someone who was very keen on a friend, he thought that my friend had sent it and they have now been married for more that 40years and he still thinks she sent it!!

Back in the '60's we each used to send them to two or three of the girls in our circle of friends who in turn did the same to the boys.

Even today, Mrs IGP still gets one from a secret admirer, and in fact, on the occasion that she doesn't - about 5 times in the last 40 years - i never hear the end of it for at least a week.....!

Interesting thoughts. You've reminded me of when I was eighteen and - the whole week before Valentine's Day - somebody who I worked with part-time kept dropping hints that someone else at work was going to ask me out, and he then did . . . on Valentine's Day.

Trouble was, he gave me the card face to face and asked me out, but (as I was interested in somebody else) I politely declined but I felt so terrible about it. So I think there is a great argument for anonymous Valentines - in fact, as far as asking people out goes, I wonder if it's the worst thing you can do because it's marketed as such a "big day" that being turned down could really ruin it.