The Not-so-Mushy Statistics During Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day. That season of love, romance, and more love. For many, Valentine's Day is a mad rush act of booking the perfect restaurant, ordering the perfect arrangement of jaunty roses, and wrapping that perfect, extravagant Valentine gift. While for some, the season of hearts passes by quietly, unceromoniously, just like any other day.

Valentine's Day has often been criticised as just an excuse for consumerism, an opportunity for businesses. Consequently, the well-meaning tradition of sending Valentine cards has also been unfairly stained by cynics everywhere, as if it is Hallmark's fault that people are only sending cards perfunctorily, without thought at all, but just to get over the holiday. Indeed, Valentine's Day is the second largest card-exchanging holiday next to Christmas, making Hallmark the unmistakable industry leader.

Half of the U.S. population celebrates Valentine's Day by purchasing at least one greeting card, according to Hallmark. And last year, according to an MSNBC report, Americans spent as much as 13.7 billion last Valentine's Day 2006, up 22 percent from just five years ago.

Other Valentine's Day statistics are: 85% of all Valentine cards are bought by women. 73% of flowers are bought by men, and only 27% are by women. Chocolate and candy sales reach profits of $1,011 billion during Valentines.

These are all good Valentine statistics, of course. It just means people are willing to go through any lengths just to make their loved ones feel special on Valentine's Day, whether that may be in the form of yet another box of chocolates, yet another card in an envelope, or yet another bunch of flowers. After all, it's still the thought that matters.

But Valentine's Day also has its share of not-so-mushy statistics. Approximately one in four Americans do not celebrate the holiday at all. And 15% of American women (and even men) send flowers to themselves on Valentine's Day.

While the most widely-sent Valentine gifts have always been Valentine's cards, chocolates, flowers, and dinner out, a new line of unlikely Valentine gifts are gaining popularity in the market, especially in the Internet. Not another virtual Valentine card, but what online psychics are offering: psychic readings, horoscopes, numerology reports, and tarot card readings. Certainly, they are not your usual Valentine's Day gifts, and that exactly is the point.

They are insightful, helpful, and for a mere 10$ for instance, for just a ten minute psychic phone call, they are quite priceless. What is more is that they certainly last longer than just chocolates and flowers. For best results, though, one can send flowers and chocolates (and cards too!) alongside a psychic reading for their loved ones.

At the end of the day, however one chooses to celebrate Valentines day, what matters is that people have space in their hearts for love the whole year round.

Neoli Marcos writes for PsychicGuild, a world-renowned online psychic service providing free astrology report, dream interpretation and more. When he's not welding words on paper, he can be found at the beach carving washable poems.

Valentine's Day Family Activities

Most people hold this view that Valentine's Day is a day for lovers all around the world. But under no circumstances is the day confined only to lovers and it would be unjust to consider it so. Valentine's Day very much includes everyone who shares the bond of love. And, therefore, it of course includes the family and a good share of family activities as well.

As a matter of fact, no occasion of love is complete without the family, without their unending love and affection. Same holds true for Valentine's Day. So here are a few Valentine's Day family activities that might help you to have an idea as to how Valentine's Day is also celebrated around the home and hearth with one's kin. Well, there are many interesting Valentine's Day family activities that you can indulge in on February 14 with your family and folks. To suggest some, wouldn't it be a great idea to throw a Valentine's Day feast and rejoice in your loved ones' company ?

You can make the entire family lend a hand in preparing the cute items especially for the day and grooving up the Valentine's Day menu. Never be discouraged about 'too many cooks'--it's fun working together on such a sweet occasion and you're sure to come out with the perfect, unspoiled 'broth' ! So gear up to butter your folks pink on Valentine's Day with all your love and care. This is one family activity which will never leave you tired at the end of it. The only thing it leaves behind is sweet memories of quality time spent with the family.

Now, if creativity is at your command, you can give your loved ones a heartwarming time on Valentine's Day with your own crafted cards and gifts. Creative sessions are often great Valentine's Day family activities, tested through time. Children take great pleasure in making Valentine's Day cards for their teachers, parents and friends. Some older children can get an edge in innovation over the young ones by making little paper cupids, valentine gift boxes tied up with red ribbons or cute candy baskets fringed with little red hearts.

Grown-ups can keep a vigil on the activities as they work their way to create wonderful Valentine's Day cards and show-pieces. And if you're in a groovier family, what are you waiting for ? Have a party ! There's no end to your Valentine's Day family activities in this case. Begin with a few cool Valentine's Day special games and you can follow it up with a nostalgic family-flashback by going through the family album. It indeed is a special feeling to walk down memory lane on Valentine's Day with all your loved ones around. But whatever you do with your family and no matter what you're planning with them this Valentine's Day, make sure it's over-the-top on February 14 ! And don't forget to pamper your dear ones with some sweet hugs and wish them a 'Happy Valentine's Day' too !

Now, one of the most fun-stuffed Valentine's Day family activities would be to go on a cool picnic with all your folks. What do you say ? Having a picnic is an awesome way to spend time together with one's family, isn't it ? So on Valentine's Day, get the whole family together--kids, parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins and pets and have a happy day-out ! You pep up all the picnic activities with some funny or interesting Valentine's Day games and have some heart-shaped sandwiches and cookies while you sing and dance by the campfire. Sounds fun, doesn't it ?

So be innovative this February 14 and have a lovely family time. You will surely discover a great way to celebrate this day of love and bond with your family. Love is, after all, all about having fun and bonding, right ? So just get going.

Sean Carter writes on holidays, Valentine's Day and world events. He also writes on family, relationships, celebrations, religion, love and friendship. He is a writer with special interest in ecard industry and writes for 123greetings.com. He is an active blogger at valentinesday4all.blogspot.com

Valentine's Day Gifts On A Budget

How many times have you found that perfect Valentine's day gift but lost your "heart" when you saw the price? Not everyone has $50 extra for that beautiful bouquet of roses.

Here are some meaningful but inexpensive ideas for a Valentine's Day gift that is sure to win the heart of your sweetie for the rest of the year.

Hand Written Love Letter Write each other a hand written love letter letting each other know all the reasons why you love each other. Warning! You will need a tissue when reading the one that will be written for you. This is one of those gifts that will be cherished for a lifetime.

Valentine's Day Once A Month For A Year Think of twelve nice things to do or acts of service gifts you can give to your valentine. Write these twelve ideas on decorated paper or 3X5 cards. Buy a nice basket or pretty box at a craft store or decorate a box you have around the house. Put all twelve cards in the box or basket and each month starting with February 14th of course, have your sweetheart pick one the acts of service cards and do what is on the card. You will both begin to look forward the the 14th of every month and will stretch Valentine's Day out throughout the whole year.

Start Your Day With Love On the morning of Valentine's Day, wake up before your valentine and make a breakfast with all his/her favorite fixings. If you are making pancakes, make then heart shaped (practice this before the big day) and add a drop or two of red food coloring in the pancake batter.

Candle Light Dinner At Home This is similar to the morning idea in the fact that you will be cooking. Make your valentine's favorite dinner and serve it to him or her by candlelight. (Even if this means that you wait to eat until the munchkins have gone to bed. It can be difficult to prepare a large meal after a long day but you both have to eat, right?

Valentine's Day gifts do not have to ruin your budget in order for them to be meaningful. These are just a few ways in which you can let that special someone know just how special he/she is to you. Here's to a wonderful Valentine's Day!

Dawn Holland is a wife, a WAHM of 3 boys and an RN. She teaches families how to build meaningful traditions that aren't expensive or difficult. To find out more about family traditions and gift giving, go to http://www.FamilyFromTheHearth.com For personalized children's books and personalized baby gifts, go to http://www.BooksFromTheHearth.com

5 Ways to Be Romantic this Valentines Day

Did you know that most people don't know how to give a good romantic gift for Valentines Day when people expect it more than ever. But , with a little creativity, Valentines shopping is easy to do

"Every year people are faced with the same dilemma, Valentines Day is supposed to be fun and romantic, but more often than not it just turns out being a total disaster."

A simple way to improve your gift giving effectiveness is to choose a few all time favorites as well as a few that are extra spicy!

To help out this Valentines day, allow me to suggest 5 simple ways to make this Valentines Day the best ever.

1. Many women don't want chocolates, many women trying to manage their weight hate it because they feel guilty that it will make them fat when all they want is to feel sexy.

2. The 2 words I love you used at anytime or many times throughout the day can be priceless if heartfelt

3. A vacation or ticket to an exotic getaway really says "you mean a lot to me and I enjoy spending time with you!"

4. Flowers- They never go out of style, even if a woman tells you she doesn't want or like flowers a careful selection of her favorite colors in flowers can reunite lost love in a big way

5. The most romantic and intimate gift is exotic and unique lingerie. This is a Playful and surefire way to capture her heart, along with a beautiful bouquet of flowers your gift becomes irresistible.

Andrea Segovia is the young entrepreneur behind the Private Belladonna Club featuring Exotic Lingerie and Fashion Styles from around the world. More info is available here: Hot lingerie styles and intimate gifts

5 Ways To Having The Happiest Valentine's Day Ever! (Even When You're Alone)

The thought of Valentine's Day conjures up romantic evenings, a candlelight dinner, and long walks with your loved one. It is, without a doubt the most romantic day of the year. So how could you possibly be expected to enjoy Valentine's Day when you're alone? Well, while it might not be all hearts and flowers, you can still spread the message of Valentine's Day: Love.

Over the years, I've interviewed numerous people and asked them what their favorite Valentine's Day memory was. Surprisingly, very few couples actually mentioned a gift or a special night out. In fact, most of the people I interviewed remembered their special Valentine's Day by things they did for others. Gifts they gave, whether they were store bought or home made that gave them the feeling of joy and happiness.

A heartwarming Valentine's Day for Jacque from California, was when she was in charge of bringing little treats for her daughter's 3rd grade class. After agonizing on what to do, she decided to make the extra firm red Jell-O, and cut them into heart shapes. After running to the store to get more mix, and spending a lot of time cutting out the heart shapes, she was frustrated and wondered why she ever signed up for the job in the first place. Was this a big mistake? When she passed out the treats in school, the kids' eyes lit up, and their sweet little voices filled the room with laughter and excitement. All the kids loved it! Jacque remembers feeling incredible that day. Her heart was glowing with happiness to see how much those kids loved her little treats.

Sometimes we get so wrapped up in our daily chores, that we often forget that children need to be remembered too. Teenagers often feel left out on Valentine's Day, but a handsome Colorado man gave two giggling teenagers a Valentine's Day they will never forget. Geoff was working on a resort property trimming trees, and noticed there were two smitten teenage girls sitting on the balcony watching him while he was working. Geoff knew he would be finished on February 13th, and thought he would he would surprise them with a dozen red roses on Valentine's Day, and signed it, the tree trimming guy. The girls were thrilled to get flowers on Valentines Day, and were still talking about it four years later! Geoff ranks that day as his all time favorite Valentine's Day!

Making someone happy (especially when it's unexpected) has a euphoric effect on you too. It's happiness shared twice. Is it possible to have a happy Valentine's Day even when you are breaking up? If you have a sister like Linda, you can. Linda's sister was going through a divorce in February, and she was heartbroken and distraught. On that Valentine's Day, Linda secretly sent her flowers at her office, and signed the card, "From your Secret Admirer." As soon as her sister received them she called Linda and said, "Oh my God, you will never believe what just happened, I got these beautiful flowers today, but I have no idea who they are from!" Linda had all she could do to keep from laughing, and giving away her little secret. Linda's sister went on to say that the entire office was trying to figure out who her secret admirer could be. Linda was happy that she could give her sister a happy Valentine's Day even when she was facing unhappy times.

Yes, it is possible to have a great Valentine's Day, even when things are looking a little dismal. Here are a few ways you can share your love this holiday.

5 Ways to the Happiest Valentine's Day Ever!

1. Send a heartfelt Valentine Card to someone who has really inspired you and tell them how much they mean to you. 2. Make a homemade Valentine Card and send it to your favorite relative you haven't seen in a while. 3. Send flowers or candy to someone who doesn't have a sweetheart, and sign it anonymous. 4. Make a Valentine's Basket and send it to a family that has gone through a difficult time and sign it, From Your Guardian Angel. 5. Take your little niece, nephew, or cousin out for ice cream.

Giving is the fastest way to feel good about yourself. It doesn't have to be expensive, even a single hand picked flower will do. Anything coming from the heart will surely be felt and appreciated. It's two gifts in one. One is for the recipient and even a bigger gift for you.

Marla Sloane Ph.D. is a successful author and speaker. Her Daily Positive Affirmations subscribers have reached world-wide proportions, and her book, "The Masks We Wear and How to Live Without Them" is at the heart of her teleclasses; Live Your Best Life. Marla has also produced, Trilogy of Meditations, for your Mind, Body, and Spirit, which is distributed nationwide, and in Europe. You can visit her web site at: www.marlasloane.com

Tips for a Perfect Valentine's Day

Every year at 14th February all across the world we're celebrating Valentine's Day in the name of love and romance. Many flowers and romantic gifts are exchanged between loved ones showing each other their feelings.

Love is a special feeling and so it must be expressed in an extraordinary way. Valentine's Day is the perfect day to express your feeling and to propose your loved one. Everyone knows that the perfect proposal is convoyed by the perfect gifts. Valentine's Day gifts are most important to express your heartfelt feelings and to make your day memorable in its way.

Receiving a Valentine's Day gift is a magical experience. It makes people smile, happy. The person that offers a gift in this special day wants to show that he cares about the other.

With Valentine's Day not too far off, it's never too soon to start thinking about making special plans for your loved ones. Whether it is a special gift, romantic date, or even a poem you wrote.

On Valentine's Day it is very important to show your love to your partner and make her feel special. Here are some ideas which might help you.

If you want to have a romantic day you should start by cooking a favorite meal, a dinner for two. The color, flavor and smell food play an important part in a successful romantic meal.

Valentine dinners should be special. Choose your sweetie's favorite foods and surprise her with a wonderful romantic meal and a special table set for two. Use your most delicate china and crystal. A few candles, a small bowl of fresh flowers, some heart shape cookies, and a bottle of wine or champagne will complete the atmosphere.

On Valentine's Day decorations speak the heart for you! So all you have to do this Valentine's Day is to make the ambiance irresistibly romantic and set the decorations warm, snug and lovely. Valentine's Day decorations can be done with flowers, ribbons, candies or just with paper and cloth.

No matter which way you do it, the decorations for Valentine's Day should just be perfect and help set the stage for a memorable celebration. The first thing that should be kept in mind before laying your hands on Valentine's Day decorations is that red or shades of red is the color to go for. So make sure you have lots of red, crimson or pink around.

If you want to spend this day at home, you can sprinkle rose petals around the house. Place heart-shape candles around your home to create the right mood.

Buy her flowers. Most preferred in this day are roses, especially the red ones. Red roses can mean a lot of things, they say, everything from courage to respect, but around this time of year they mean one thing - sincere love. Other times of the year, a single red rose will do the trick, but play it safe with a dozen at Valentine's Day.

Hide love letters - write a bunch of love letters and stash them in places your mate typically looks.

I love you is a powerful phrase and saying I love you is a big step in any relationship. Learn the right time to say I love you and give yourself the best chance of hearing "I love you too!"

As a gift you can take her a perfume or even lingerie. But if you take her only lingerie she will think that the only think you want from her is sex. In that case don't forget about flowers or sweets for you sweetheart.

Jewelry is always a favorite for woman. You can take her some diamonds, earrings, or just buy a heart-shaped locket and put a picture of yourself in it. Personalize the locket with your loved one's initials so she'll have something to wear that's hers alone.

Wherever you choose to spend this beautiful day with your partner remember to make her feel special, to create that magical atmosphere, a day that she'll never forget.

Have a wonderful Valentine's Day!

If you are single and don't have with whom to spend Valentine's Day you may find a beautiful woman at www.eBridex.com

Valentine's Day for Single Girls

For most people, being alone on Valentine's Day is simply no fun. Women especially find being alone on Valentine's Day to be depressing and lonely. However, just because you are not in a relationship does not mean you can't have a good time on Valentine's Day. With a little creativity, single girls can have a great Valentine's Day that they will remember for years and years.

In fact, they may find they have a better time when they are single on Valentine's Day than they do when they are in a relationship. This article will offer a few tips for how single girls can have a great time on Valentine's Day.

Calling up your other single friends and going dancing is a great way for a single girl to celebrate Valentine's Day in style. You and your friends can get dressed up and head out to a local nightclub together to spend the evening dancing. Many women will actually find they have a better time doing this than going dancing with their boyfriends because their friends are more likely to want to dance all night long.

When they go out with a boyfriend the boyfriend may want to spend more time eating or drinking than he wants to spend on the dance floor. However, single girls who are out on the town often spend hours and hours dancing when they go out and barely take a break all evening.

Another fun idea for single girls on Valentine's Day is to host a movie night at your place. You can invite over all of your single friends and rent a few romantic comedies. Instead of being sad and depressed you and your friends can watch the movies and make fun of all of the couples in the movie.

It may not be the nicest or the most mature thing to do but it will help to prevent you and your friends from feeling depressed during the evening. Or if you prefer you can rent other types of movies such as horror movies or comedies. These will help to keep your mind off the fact that you are single on Valentine's Day.

Single girls on Valentine's Day can also have a great time by organizing a matchmaking game. You can call up all of your single friends and ask each of them to bring a single guy to your house for a get together. You can serve light appetizers and have music playing to keep the guests entertained.

You can also purchase board games designed for use by couples and match up your single couples to play the game. Answering the questions will probably be pretty hard because the couples will not really know each other but it will be a fun way for some of your single friends and the friends of your friends to get to know each other.

Another way for single girls to celebrate Valentine's Day is to simply go out to dinner. Restaurants can be extremely crowded on Valentine's Day because going out to dinner is a very popular idea for couples. However, even single girls have to eat on Valentine's Day. You and your single friends can plan ahead and make reservations for dinner at one of the nicest restaurants in town.

You will likely be surrounded by couples celebrating Valentine's Day but it does not mean you still can't have a good time. Get all dressed up and maybe even organize an outing to a spa beforehand so you and all your friends can get manicures and pedicures before you head out for the evening. This will help to make your dinner together even more fun because you will have a great bonding experience beforehand. While you are out to dinner with your single friends, start out with some great appetizers, order a few great dishes to share and don't forget to finish your meal with an awesome dessert.

Leave the dinners of salad and water to your friends who are trying to impress their dates and feel free to indulge in some great food while you are out with your single friends.

Ryan Smith is the owner of MyCirclePal.Com, one of the Net's hottest community and social neworking sites! Post your free profile today at http://www.mycirclepal.com/