One year, when I was a girl, my mom "invented" the Valentine Dog. There's the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus, so shouldn't there also be a character who brings trinkets for Valentine's Day? In our house, the Valentine Dog brought something small to those who'd been loving and thoughtful throughout the year. Perhaps this was a ploy to get my brother, sister and I to stop our bickering and begin cooperating. I'm not sure.
Or, maybe, my mom just wanted to add some fun to a holiday that seemed commercially motivated with store-bought candy hearts, boxes of pre-printed cards, flowers from the florist (you'll notice that Valentine's Day is a winter holiday when flowers from your own garden are not possible, and one "must" buy flowers from a shop), and small vials of pricey perfume.
The gifts that I remember. . .
One year, my mom stayed up late into the night, sewing smocked nighties, one for myself and one for my sister. We could hear the sewing machine downstairs, whirring along as we laid there trying to fall asleep. Quietly we whispered to each other, trying to guess what it would be.
Many years I received a little something, like cologne spray (anyone remember Love's Baby Soft, or Love's Lemon Scent?), or a pot or stick of lip gloss (Bonne Bell Lip Smacker anyone?).
I still have one of the items that my mom (the Valentine Dog) gave to me. I was away at college, and she sent me a piece of her jewelry that she was given as a teenage girl. I was very touched by that gift. Her parents had taken a trip to Mexico City, and they bought this "amethyst" and silver bracelet from a vendor on the street. They knew the stones were not real amethysts, but they bought the bracelet anyways. When my sister and I were in college, my mom had two of the stones made into pendants for us. I treasure that. It's a piece of my mom's teenage years, as well as my own.
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| the pattern and fabric for pj bottoms for my two daughters |
Our house continues with the Valentine Dog. Some years, I bake treats, wrap them prettily and place at each person's spot at the kitchen table. Other years, the Valentine Dog brings red and silver foil-wrapped candies (bought on clearance after Christmas), and maybe a very small and somewhat useful gift.
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| These pj bottoms won't have an easily identifiable front or back. I'll sew these fabric flowers (scavenged from baby clothing) to the center-front of the waistband. |
I picked up the fabric (using a 50% off sale) for two of the gifts this past week. I'll be sewing pj bottoms for my girls. I've used this pattern for myself a couple of times and will scale it down in size for them.
If you sew a lot, then you know that pj bottoms are a relatively easy project. If you don't sew much at all, this is a good beginner's project -- no zippers, buttonholes, sleeves, plackets or any of the other details that used to give me an enormous headache when I was in middle school Home Ec.
I'm still working on ideas for the men in the family. Suggestions for what I (I mean the Valentine Dog) can do for them?
Be thoughtful and loving to your family, and the Valentine Dog may just bring you a treat!
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