Bottom of the News… Friday, February 5, 2010

Good morning my fellow Rotarians. Well the month of February is the LOVE Month and here are a few facts surrounding this special holiday that you may not be aware of…

What is origin of Valentines Day? An imprisoned St. Valentine died on Feb 14, 269 AD and legend says he had become friends with and had fallen in love with the jailer’s daughter. He signed his farewell note "From Your Valentine" and 230 years later, the Pope set aside the date to honor St. Valentine.

How has the tradition of cards continued? Until the mid 1800’s Valentine cards only came in the form of love notes from the man. Women NEVER sent notes to men! The tradition became westernized and then women got into the act. Until the mid 1900s all cards typically were homemade, had lace decorating and always a red heart. Today Valentine cards come in all forms.

How important is chocolate around V-Day? 1.1 billion boxes of chocolates will be sold throughout the U.S. with more than 58 million pounds of chocolate candy will be sold during Valentine's week alone. Consumers will purchase more than $345 million in chocolate candy during this week.

How many roses are sold on V-Day? 189 million stems of roses are sold in the U.S. just on Valentine's Day alone; 1.2 billion are sold the entire year.

Last year I gave the men some gift ideas for their special ladies and this year ladies I have some things that… GUYS would LOVE to get from YOU on V-Day!

Get-Out-of-Jail-Free Card… Hey, we all make mistakes. Every man needs unconditional amnesty once in a great while. Only allow for mild screw-ups, not major deals; it allows your guy to avoid your wrath.

Silence… Contrary to popular belief, married men quite often want to stay home and be alone. Do nights when he can rule the remote and eat chicken-fried bacon pizza. It can be a great recharger for his emotional batteries.

Less Makeup… A little eyeliner and lipstick are great. But unless you're a TV anchor, guys believe you don’t need much! Just ask your guy, I bet he thinks you're cute no matter what, right guys?

Binoculars… The best gift is unexpected, something he wouldn't buy for himself. Believe it or not, guys will remember the first time they were fascinated by binoculars as a little boy. (All boys are). They are waterproof, shockproof, and, most importantly, cool lookin'.

To be in a Rock Band… Whether he fronted a band in college or can't even play the kazoo, every guy secretly dreams of being a rock star, but it never happens; consider Guitar Hero or Beatles Rock Band.

There you have it, little known Valentine’s Day info as our Bottom of the News on this Friday, February 5, 2010. ###