Sunday, February 4, 2018

Letters to myself

I got a mysterious email that I realized was a calendar notification I sent to myself.  For some reason I thought it was actually from google and was a little creeped out that they were suggesting I go to these lengths to celebrate Valentines day.  But I've been blessed several times in scouts or callings and now family celebrations, by having a reminder show up a few weeks before an event.  After an annual event I set up a calendar notification to remind me next year to do various preparations that helped and tips on new things to try.  It's amazing to get these letters because I usually completely forget about these things and I'm like "Oh wow!  good idea!"

Here's the mystery letter I got today:

valentines

1) Secret CupidThis is a tradition that my mother started in our family when we were young. Basically at the beginning of the week, my mom put the names of everyone in the family on slips of paper in a bowl, and we’d each draw one out. It was then our mission to surprise that family member each day in the week leading up to Valentine's Day.
Since we were too young to go to the store by ourselves, she set-up a “Cupid Store” in her bedroom. She spread Dove Promises, York Peppermint Patties, festive Pez dispensers, and small stuffed animals across her bedspread. We went into her bedroom alone and got a certain number of tickets to “spend,” and I remember agonizing over what to buy for my special person. (You could modify your Cupid Store for older children, depending on their interests and the unique hobbies of your family.)
My mom also encouraged us to sneakily serve one another throughout the week, making beds, picking up toys, and hanging up wet towels that had been left on the floor. Finding creative ways to serve each other was often the most fun part!
This tradition remains a highlight memory of my childhood and something I now do with my own little children. For more details, you can read my sister Sarah’s detailed blog post about it here.
2) Love Letters to Your Children
You don’t have to be Shakespeare to write down some sentimental thoughts about your loved ones every once in a while—and what better time than Valentine's Day?
Take a few minutes during that special week in February to write your kids “love letters” about all the things that you adore about them. Try to be specific—explaining the qualities that are unique to them and that you admire about them. Share a memory from the past few months that you loved sharing with them.
Make a copy of the letter to give to them and save a copy for yourself. You could keep these letters in your journal or in a binder that you add to each year on Valentines Day.
Even if your children are babies who are too young to read your words now, or they are teenagers who will pretend to be embarrassed by your sappiness, this tradition will create a meaningful, precious keepsake in years to come.
You can read a love letter that I wrote to my infant son here.
3) Valentine's Dinner at Home
If you can’t find a babysitter to get away with your sweetheart, plan a fun Valentines dinner at home for the entire family! A friend of mine has done chocolate and fruit fondue with her little kids, and they loved it. I have another friend who has made heart-shaped pizzas (and I hear that many pizza places deliver heart-shaped pizzas that day if you aren’t the type to make a homemade one)
You could set the table fancy with candles, glitter, and goblets — or even better, you could delegate this responsibility to your children if they are excited about tasks like this.
You could do a game night, with Valentine's Bingo and Memory, or a family movie night with a family-friendly romantic comedy, such as Little Manhattan.
You could also do service, such as “heart-attacking” a lonely neighbor by cutting out paper hearts and writing loving messages all over them, then sneakily taping them to their door.

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