The Monotones might have asked, “Who wrote the book of love?” and we could safely answer – Hallmark. Flowers, chocolates, balloons, jewelry and almost anything with hearts in red or pink are retail fair game and don’t forget the card! As soon as the holiday decorations were packed away, the Valentine’s stuff went onto store shelves – and now Saint Patrick is edging out Cupid. The ugly cards and coffee cups are enough to make you declare all these special days not-so-special. I’d like to be in tune with those whose hearts go pitter-patter in anticipation of just the right gift to get, but I’m one chocolate short of a full box of candy when it comes to my mental wiring on any day that dictates I must buy something – anything –
to show my love. So, tell Cupid I said “hi” and the card is in the mail.
MAN’S BEST FRIEND
There’s a reason that there are more cards on shelves this year that are categorized as being from the dog or cat. Read it and weep (from laughter): A global poll conducted by Reuters/Ipsos shows that one out of five adults would prefer to spend time with their pet rather their spouse on Valentine’s Day. The survey of 24,000 people in 23 countries found men and women evenly split over the option. I’m not going that far. We have dogs and cats and we all happily hang out together – but we didn’t buy each other flowers, candy or cards. So, what kind of fun are we?
I ♥ WINE AND RESTAURANTS
It turns out that we love chefs, restaurants, farmers, chocolatiers, bakers and wine producers and we show our love all year ‘round. That’s right; Cupid sent that arrow right through our taste buds and tummies. We don’t need Hallmark to spin a special card, our credit card is one big verse of adoration for all things lovingly crafted by winemakers and great cooks. Now more than ever is a good time to show our affection. 2009 wasn’t such a great year for a lot of people. Many restaurants struggled when the economy faltered. Fewer people were eating out and ordering less when they did. In turn, the small farmers and winemakers lost steady customers.
BY THE NUMBERS
According to a Rabobank report, “ U.S. consumer spending remains soft,but shows signs of improvement.” Wine under $15 is down about 10% in sales but premium wines are down 15%, and while 2010 will likely be a little better, the premium sales probably won’t increase to the pre-recession prices. You have to hope your favorite premium winemaker can weather the costs of producing so that your favorite label is still around five years from now. The same is true for your favorite restaurant and the farmers and others who supply the restaurant.
BE MINE
This Valentine’s Day falls during the President’s Day weekend and, in my little coastal town, some hotel lots were parked full. The weather was perfect. Although, chilly weather and snowfall makes for a cozy, romantic evening, there’s nothing like a warm evening in winter and a spectacular sunset over the Pacific Ocean to make you feel the love. But here’s what made my heart beat a little faster this evening…traffic. Yes. You read me correctly. Traffic. Smiling people in their cars on their way to a restaurant to have a lovely dinner. I pulled into a local restaurant where I was getting sushi appetizers for a neighborhood dinner party. I got the last space. People were waiting happily for tables and the hostesses, waiters and the owner were all smiling. Dinners, bottles of wine and tips all mean that our friends – from the servers who surf with my family to the owners whom we talk with at Chamber of Commerce functions – will go home with a bit more in their bank account tonight and that’s what makes our communities go around. It’s economic stimulus of the Cupid-kind. It turns out that I like Valentine’s Day for all that it will do to help us all get back on track.
V-DAY EVERY WEEK
So, now I’m ready to celebrate Valentine’s Day each week all year long. Think of it as a love letter to the place where we live, work and play. Once a week let’s make a reservation to eat great food – fresh from the small farmer down the road and order a bottle of wine from the winemaker who volunteered to pour at a local event or donate to help out our service organization. If a restaurant isn’t in the cards for the week, gather the family and friends together for a back yard cook-out; make a trip to farmer’s market for veggies and pick up a wine that came from a vineyard that may be as close as over your backyard fence. Keeping everyone afloat one nice lunch/dinner/glass of wine at a time may be the sweetest Valentine of all and much better than a box of assembly line chocolates.