A St. Valentine’s Day secret - for men only!

If thanksgiving is colonial, and Christmas medieval, then the tradition of Valentine’s Day is Victorian. The custom of sending love tokens is much older historically (St. Valentine, the martyred saint whose name is honored, lived in the third century), but it seemed to find perfect expression in Victoriana - Hearts and flowers, poetry, cupids, doilies, ceremony, Flaubert, Chopin, Poe. “For love’s sake” had a mysterious, forbidden drama then. Although I don’t see many of my lady-friends receiving lace-edged handkerchiefs, hand-dipped chocolates, or unsigned cards anymore, I have clear memories of my own Valentine’s Days, mostly from my childhood.