It’s easy to forget that the “holiday of love” began as a Catholic saint’s feast day!
The real St. Valentine was a priest and early Christian martyr who died in 270. Over the centuries, his feast day came to be associated with romantic love.
Catholic parents can tie in lots of positive things to this holiday, such as consecrating your home to the Sacred Heart of Jesus or the Immaculate Heart of Mary. (Check out this great list for more ideas!)
If you’d like just a few easy and fun ways to celebrate with kids, here are three of our favorite ideas.
1Share the story of the real St. Valentine
Watch The First Valentine, a short but powerful movie dramatizing the life of St. Valentine:
Or simply read aloud the story of St. Valentine from the Golden Legend, found here.
2Spread words of love
During dinner, go around the table with each family member sharing things they love about everyone else.
Take it a step further and cut out paper hearts on which your kids can write things they love about one another. You can hang these on a string garland or on the walls for a sweet reminder of your family’s love for one another.
3Plan a special treat
If you’d like to make something special for this holiday, we suggest chocolate pudding cake. It’s essentially a giant chocolate lava cake, best served with vanilla ice cream!
If you’d like to plan something special that doesn’t involve sugar (we get it!), today is a perfect occasion for a special outing, such as a children’s museum, a playplace, or a local indoor pool. Or bring the celebration home and have a friend over for a Valentine-themed play date!
However you celebrate, we hope you know how much God loves you, today and every day. Happy feast of St. Valentine!
