Valentine's Day

Yesterday was Valentine's Day. I got to wondering -- is this mostly an American tradition or is it observed/celebrated in other countries? Possibly it is, but then I wonder if it is observed/celebrated in the same fashion.

In the US some people go all out and some are a little more subdued. Valentine cards are very popular. School children take cards to school to hand out to their classmates. More ornate cards are given to husbands/wives/sweethearts. Traditional too, are heart shaped boxes of candy.
Flowers are traditions, especially things like red roses. Locally, grocery stores put up tents in the parking lots and sell flowers from them. Some also have stuffed animals. We saw some left-over stuffed animals getting rained on yesterday evening. They looked sad, :-( Jewelry is offered as a Valentine gift -- especially things like heart shaped necklaces (with or without diamonds.) Lots of moola being spent with florists, jewelers, and in card shops, candy shops and in restaurants. Today, however, the news reports are saying that this year showed evidence of the current economic downturn. :-(

Many times one spouse takes the other out for a special dinner. We often have a special dinner but usually here at home.

This year, my Sweetie and I exchanged cards, I fixed his breakfast (he usually isn't here for breakfast during the week,) and we ate a small lunch out. As far as gifts are concerned, he gave me a pedicure (to be gotten at a later date) and I gave him the "gift" of taking him to see a movie that he wanted to see and I didn't. Earlier I had said I would not go but I knew he wanted to see it so I made the sacrifice! Needed to disinfect my ears afterward. The language was horrible! The movie (Grand Turino) actually had an interesting plot -- was funny in places and sad in others. However, the language made it less than enjoyable for me. My least favorite word is the "F" word and it was definitely over-used!

To top off the evening our motorcycle club had a "Leather and Lace Ball, Y'all" It was fun -- it was actually a fund raiser for the "Run for the Son" ride that comes up later in the year.
We ate "breakfast for dinner," -- waffles made on demand, egg and sausage casseroles, chocolate covered bananas and strawberries, coffee and orange juice. A version of the Newly-Wed Game was played and it was fun. We didn't win, however! :-(

All in all, it was a nice day. However, I'm wondering why we have just one day designated as a special day to honor those we love. Shouldn't we do that all year long? What do you think?