Buzz Feature: Valentine’s Day, More than just a Heartfelt Gesture

By Caitlyn Lentner

At Cynthia’s Flower Shop the week leading up to Valentine’s day is a chaos of remnant anatomical floral pieces scattered among the shop floor and an overwhelming amount of assorted roses requiring processing. 

Cynthia and her crew work swiftly and efficiently, sounding off each other in order to arrange, and wrap a beautiful bundle or vase of flowers for the busy romantic day. A sold out table at closing time promises a larger crowd to follow the next day, and the impending long day of cutting long and thorny rose stems.

While Valentine’s Day presents the saturated and intense overtones of affection, growing up in elementary school, my classmates and I learned, instead, about the simpler joys of meeting and making lasting friendships out of the lovey-dovey holiday.

One year on the day of our celebration, each student in Mr. Schwartz’ 4th grade classroom was instructed to ensure that each peer received a Pal-entine. The week prior required a fervent and manic creativity from my mother and me, taking trips to Michael’s and hot-glueing red and pink hearts on the pots of fake cactus plants. 

I concentrated hard on creating a list of all my classmates’ names from memory as my mother freehanded a cursive “E” for my friend Ellis on the terracotta pot of one of the fake cacti. 

But to my surprise, my classmates didn’t appreciate the cactus Valentine’s Day plants as much as I thought they would. 

The phrases, “who gave me this Valentine? This sucks!” or “want to trade candy?” were audible from across the classroom. The other kids passed around candy conversation hearts, marble mazes, and sticky red slime that looked like it oozed out of the broken heart of a teacher whose furniture was now stained by it.

Elementary school Valentine’s Day celebrations represented a much different phenomenon than they do in high school. The holiday brings to mind a sense of simplicity and a hazy pleasure that was wrapped up in a 6-hour school day, filled with a caboodle of candies, toys, and pink lemonade. Now in high school, holiday-inspired gift giving mainly resides in the realm of Christmas and birthdays. 

The media sensationalizes February 14 as a rose with many layers – teddy bears, love letters upon boxes of chocolate, glamorous dining arrangements, and sugar-laden items in every store window. The Hallmark Channel advertises romance films telling stories of relationships and heartbreaks. Valentine’s Day packs the drugstore “seasonal” section with pounds of candy bags and chocolates dedicated to all things “love”. The holiday seems to sit on the throne of consumerism, materialism and grand gestures instead of valuable memories.

All the love seems to be somewhat “concentrated” into one moment, one dinner, one day of passionate romance. But that doesn’t seem to represent what love really is. 

Cynthia Winchell, owner of Cynthia’s Flower Shop, notes how “Valentine’s Day is the most last minute holiday” in terms of customers buying their significant others flowers. She remarks how “Valentine’s day, or even after [it], are always busy with people rushing in for at least something to give to their valentine.”

I still treasure the valentines I planned for my elementary school classmates, which were never a last minute thought, unlike many of the grab-and-go impromptu gifts marketed in stores. I wanted my friends to see that I thought of them, and I wanted to leave a positive impression that showcased my creativity. Although it wasn’t a competition, it was always an exciting experience to open my brown paper bag and unravel my goodies. 

The Valentine’s Day we all know – and love – doesn’t always embody the kind of love and affection that people truly need. Below the layers of lavishness, the reason for the festivities lies in the appreciation of individuals and what they bring to our lives.

In elementary school, a simple Valentine’s gift – even an unexpected one – drew peers closer to each other, and even opened up opportunities to make new friends. The meaning of a Valentine can be lost amidst all the romantic haze and mistaken for an extravagant display of affection. 

Instead, love shouldn’t be treated as a one day treat, but rather a consistent and meaningful display that will last a lifetime.

Editor's Note: Caitlyn Lentner, a junior at BHS, works part-time at Cynthia's in Branford. And even though she does not hand out Valentine's Day cacti to her classmates anymore, she still appreciates and enjoys the holiday.