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Archive for the ‘Valentine's Day’ Category

So most of us know what happens during Valentine's Day in the United States - sending cards, Valentine chocolates and candlelit dinners.  But what does the rest of the world do during Valentine's Day?  Below are just a few examples of festivities going on around the world.

Wales - A long-held tradition of giving Welsh Love spoons to ones lover still occurs on Valentine's Day. The wooden spoons are intricately  carved with symbols representing a wide range of emotions intended to convey the givers feelings. Some of the symbol meanings are: Heart - Love, Horseshoe - Good Luck, Celtic Knot - Eternal Love, Twisted Stem - Two Lives Become One and
Birds - Love Birds or Let's Go Away Together.

Japan - The traditional gift given on Valentine's Day in Japan is chocolate, but great care is taken to make sure that the correct type of chocolate is given because there are two types - one suitable for friends and one for lovers.  Giri choco or obligatory chocolate is given by women to their male friends, co-workers and superiors. Honmei choco is chocolate given to the man that a girl is truly interested in or serious about.

Brazil - Brazil does not celebrate Valentine's Day on the 14th of February. Brazilians celebrate the Dia dos Namorados (Day of the Enamored) on June 12th.  The day is is celebrated in colorful style with festivals and dancing. It is also on this day that couples exchange gifts or give flowers and cards to one another.

Mexico - The most prevalent Valentine's Day tradition in Mexico is to exchange gifts in a secret way. The men of Mexico have another special way of showing their affection to the one they love. In the evening, they show up at the home of their girlfriend with a mariachi band or trio of singers who serenade the girl with 2 or 3 romantic songs while standing beneath her window.

10 Ways To Say I Love You

In common languages of the world!

Arabic - Ana behibak (to male)
Arabic - Ana behibek (to female)
Chinese Cantonese - Ngo oiy ney a
Chinese Mandarin - Wo ai ni
French - Je t'aime, Je t'adore
German - Ich liebe dich
Italian - Ti amo
Japanese - Aishiteru or Anata ga daisuki desu
Russian - Ya tebya liubliu
Spanish - Te quiero / Te amo

Need a gift for your sweetie?  Check out all of our Valentine's Day gifts!

Are you looking for some fun party game ideas for Valentine's Day this year?  Here are some great games for kids of all ages that are perfect for a classroom party, Valentine Birthday, or any Valentine's Day get-together.

Steal My Heart Game -Here's a game that really takes some hand-eye coordination!  Simply purchase a couple large bags of Valentine candy conversation hearts and some chopsticks. Place the candy in a large bowl at the center of a table. Have the kids take a spot around the table then give each child a set of chopsticks.  The goal is to 'steal' as many hearts from the big bowl of candy as possible. You can either give them individual small bowls to store their stolen hearts or tell them to make a pile right in front of them. Make sure to tell them they can only use the chopsticks - NO HANDS!  Set a timer for 3 minutes and the child with the most hearts in their bowl or in front of them when time runs out wins a Valentine prize!

Valentine Memory Game - Purchase one or two bags of candy conversation hearts. Prepare for the game by pouring the candies out and going through them to find pairs of hearts that are identical (same color and same saying). When you are ready to play the game, lay all the pairs of hearts face down on the table. Explain tot he kids that the goal is to find pairs of hearts that have the same saying and color (you might want to show them an example). Go around the circle having each child taking a turn by flipping over two hearts. If they get a pair, they get to take another turn until they miss. When they miss, the hearts get flipped back over (face down). The child with the most pairs when all of the hearts are matched wins the game and a Valentine themed gift.

Pin The Arrow on Cupid - Who can help Cupid get ready to shoot his arrow of love? Buy a large piece of poster board then draw a picture of cupid holding a bow on the poster board. (Online clipart sites are a great visual guide.) Hang the poster board on the wall being sure to have the location at hand height for the kids. Give each child an arrow made out of construction paper. Put double sided sticky tape or a adhesive glue dot on the back of the arrows. To play, blindfold each child, give them a spin around and have them try to pin the arrow on Cupid's bow. The child that gets closest to the intended location wins.

Check out more Valentine Party Games...

How about hosting a Valentine's Day Party this year? If you're getting a group together for Valentine's Day, here are a couple fun game ideas to keep things interesting!

Lovers Lifesaver Relay Game - Before the party, buy a roll of lifesaver candies (red and white for Valentine's Day). To start,  evenly split the party guests into groups of 3 or more players. Have the players for each group line up in a straight line then give each of the players a toothpick that they hold in their mouth (no HANDS allowed). Give the first person in each group's line a lifesaver candy which they hang on the toothpick in their mouth. Once you yell start, the first player in line passes the lifesaver from their toothpick to the toothpick of the next player in line (without using their hands). They pass it to the next and so on until the last person in line has the lifesaver on their toothpick. The first team to get the lifesaver to the end of their relay line wins the game! NOTE: During the game if the lifesaver falls to the ground or someone uses their hands, the team must start all over at the beginning with the lifesaver on the first player's toothpick.

Valentine Suck & Blow Card Game - A great game for a bunch of single people! This hilarious game requires 8 or more players and is best pif you have an even number of people and equal number of men and women so that people can sit boy-girl-boy-girl. Have the party goers sit in a tight circle very close to one another because they will be passing cards with NO HANDS. Give a card from a standard or heart-shaped deck of playing cards to one of the people in the group. The goal is to pass the card to the next person in line without dropping it. The first person holds the card to their mouth by sucking on it like a vacuum, they pass it to the person on the right by placing the card on their mouth so that neighbor will need to suck on the card to hold it while the first person blows (releasing the suction) to let go of the card. Don't drop the card or you'll be kissing the person sitting next to you! This game is sure to get lots of laugh!

Be sure to check out our Valentine gifts and cookies - they make great party centerpieces or game prizes!

If you have some cooking skills, a candlelit dinner is a great surprise and one that your sweetheart is sure to appreciate. For a memorable night, make something that you know your significant other really likes. You can even create a theme around the type of food they like.  If it's seafood they love, you could add accents to the table with decorative beach candles, real seashells and maybe some ocean sound CD's playing in the background.  Other theme ideas could be:

- Mexican Food - Accent with rich orange, yellow, red and green colors.  Terra Cotta pots could hold fresh flowers.  Use Chili Peppers to accent your dinner table.

- Asian Food - Cherry Blossom Accents add a romantic touch to your dinner.

- Italian Food - Grape vines set a mood for your Italian dinner.  Wine and Cheese are also a great choice.  Play authentic Italian music in the background.

If you're not the best cook, you could always order take-out and sill serve it on your table for 2.

For dessert anything heart-shaped will do!  How about a heart-shaped cheese cake? Our two pound cheese cake says "Happy Valentine's Day on top and is garnished with a Red Marzipan Rose. The Chocolate fudge and Raspberry Swirl cheesecake features a chocolate cookie crust, while the NY style has a classic graham cracker crust.

It's a well known fact that chocolate is a very popular gift for Valentine's Day!  But that doesn't mean you have to go with the same boring selection of Chocolates. We carry a great selection of unique and tasty chocolate gifts!

How about a trio of Valentine Chocolate Caramel Apples? Crisp petite Granny Smith apples are hand-dipped in rich, golden caramel then dipped in Belgian Chocolate and finished with festive icing decorations and candy sprinkles for a delectable one-of-a-kind treat!  Just $34 for over a pound of deliciousness!

Another fun and luscious idea is a tin of Belgian Chocolate Covered Oreo Cookies. For $32 you get 16 delicious Oreo® sandwich cookies enrobed in rich Dark, Milk or White Belgian chocolate, then coated with Valentine themed decorations.  They look amazing and taste even better!

So if you're looking for a unique and chocolately gift this Valentine's Day, you're sure to find the perfect choice at Holiday Gifts & Gift Baskets.