Two simple Valentine's traditions that increase love

We have two favorite family traditions for Valentines Day – a “Heart Attack” and a “Jar of Love.” Both traditions are super simple, require virtually no planning and very few supplies. Both really increase the love in our home.

Heart Attack

A few days before Valentine’s Day, we cut out a bunch of simple hearts from whatever construction paper we have laying around and decorate them with notes about what we all love about each other. Everyone does a heart for each member of the family. Then we all get to read what each other wrote, and we put the hearts up all over our kitchen.

We did our Heart Attack for this year a couple days ago. As with any project we do around here, it was a little chaotic with both twins needing help writing on their hearts but insisting on doing the actual writing themselves and some squabbles over who took the hearts that someone else cut out and whose turn it is to use the scissors or glue sticks (somehow, no matter how many glue sticks and scissors I buy, they’re always in short supply). But in the end, we were all very pleased with the results, and our kitchen is now happily decorated with creatively decorated hearts and sweet sentiments of love from everyone to everyone. It’s sure nice to know what people love about you every so often!

Here are a few of my favorite hearts that the kids made:

Jar of Love

We got this tradition idea from a friend last year, and it’s become a favorite. Together, we brainstorm a list of simple, fun little act of service that would show love for family members, friends, neighbors or relatives and write our best ideas on little slips of paper that go into a jar (examples include “leave a secret love note on someone’s bed” or “read a bedtime story about love” or “take a treat to a neighbor”). Then for the whole week of Valentine’s Day (leading up to the day and a few days after), one of the kids gets to pull out a slip of paper, and we do what it says on the paper.

Yesterday we pulled out “read a story about love together.” Tuesdays are crazy crazy days for us – yesterday I had reading duty in the twins’ class, grocery shopping, dance for Liza at the same time as scouts for Isaac and a PTA meeting for me followed immediately by a scout leader meeting I had to be at. But because we’d drawn out this slip of paper that told us we needed to find time to read stories about love, I protected a half-hour for reading time before bed, and we read two favorite stories about love. The kids went to bed knowing completely that they are loved, loved, loved and after a hectic day, I felt like a good mom rather than the harried not-so-nice mom I often feel like after a too-busy day.

Today, we pulled out “write a note to someone you love who you don’t see often” and the kids have all these ideas of who they’re excited to write an email to after school – Grandma, a St. George neighbor they miss, a dog they love (the twins are sure the dog’s owner could somehow help the dog understand the email).

I love simple, meaningful traditions like these. The love in our home is being celebrated – and being increased in the process!

Question: What are your favorite Valentine’s Day traditions?
Challenge: Try one of these activities in your home, or come up with your own special Valentine’s Day tradition that really celebrates love.

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