"When one has once fully entered the realm of love, the world -no matter how imperfect- becomes rich and beautiful, it consists soley of opportunities for love."

- Soren Kierkegaard

How Do I Love Thee?

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace,
I love thee to the level of everyday's
Most quiet need, by sun and candle light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints,-I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life!-and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.

~*~ Elizabeth Barrett Browning ~*~

St Valentine's Day History and Traditions

There is a lot of speculation concerning the origin of Saint Valentine's Day. The history isn't as happy as we would like to believe, although it has always been centered around love in one form or another. Care to know more? Then follow this link to the Holiday History page!

Valentine Day Cards

The first true, written Valentine card is usually attributed to Charles, Duke of Orleans. It was 1415 and he was imprisoned in the Tower of London at the time. He fought his lonely confinement by writing romantic verses for his wife.

Although the principle of love behind the Valentine card might be the same, the card itself certainly has come a long way. The Valentine card gained in popularity in the early 1800's with the introduction of the penny postcard. Since then, it has become a tradition for children to give these Valentine cards to all the other children in their classes. Today, you can even send virtual Valentine cards!

This is a set of links to some of the web pages that allow you to do just that!

123greetings.com Valentine's Day Cards

Ah, Awesome Valentine

americangreetings.com

Blue Mountain Arts

St Valentine's Day Activities

As with most other holidays, there can be a lot of fun associated with Saint Valentine's Day. Hence, the reason for the Holiday Activities page.

And how can we consider a section on holiday activities complete unless we include a section on holiday-specific recipes! For Valentine's Day, this may mean anything from a special meal for that special someone, to a simple dessert. The Holiday Recipes page may give you some ideas!

Holiday Webrings

If you arrived here via a St. Valentine's Day Webring, then this is where you should go if you wish to continue your tour of the webring that brought you here or if you wish to visit other St. Valentines Day holiday pages. Happy St. Valentine's Day!

Art, Clipart, and Other Graphics Links

Vintage Valentine Art Collection

This is a collection of antique Victorian Valentine art, scanned from The Stock Solution's original stone lithographs and hand-tinted photographs. There are some very fine images at this site and it is (IMHO) really worth visiting.

Victorian Valentines By Anne Gerdes

"I have created these Valentines for your use on your own webpage, or to email to a friend... no strings attached - just enjoy!" ~anne gerdes

Valentines Images, Backgrounds, and Borders

There are a number of pages containing images and background sets that will help if you are building a St. Valentine's Day web page. (This is where I got my background.)

Critter's Valentine's Day Page

This site contains a number of cute Valentine graphics with, you guessed it, the critter theme in mind.

A Touch Of Country Valentine

This is a set of simple yet nice Valentine images.

Other Nice Pages I Found Along The Way

Billy Bear's Happy Valentine's Day

A nice site at BillyBear4Kids.com! Even the kissing booth is safe for children!

Valentine's Day Trivia Hunt

Learn more about Valentine's Day as you explore the Internet searching for the answers to the questions. This is a nice change of pace from the traditional Valentine pages.

Kids Domain Valentines

A number of fun pages with lots of things for the children to do!

Valentine Be Mine

A very nice set of pages concerning everything Valentine from "Romance" to "Symbols".

Annie's Valentine's Page - A Different Kind Of Love

"God Is Love" is the theme of this page which, I think, helps put St. Valentine's Day in the proper perspective.

The Pages Of Romance

A very nice site regarding all things romantic!

P.J.'s Happy Valentines

A unique page in that it has German, French, and Spanish sections as well as romantic links.

Romeo and Juliet

How about this for a love story!