When I think of February I think of pink and red hearts, Valentine’s Day, chocolate, snow days, birthdays (we have lots of birthdays in my family this month) and falling in love! To celebrate my favorite month and thank my faithful fans, I would like to give away a Valentine goodie bag of gifts. You could win two signed copies of my books (The Snowflake and Angel’s Den), my favorite Lindt Chocolates and some pretty sterling silver earrings to get your V-day glam on!
All you have to do is comment on this post and tell me why you love (or not) Valentine’s Day! Any favorite memories? Any fun plans for this year?
Rules: Entry Deadline for the Valentine’s Day Contest: midnight, EST, February 5, 2011. One entry per email address/ household each month, please!! Winner will be chosen at random from correct entries and notified by email, then posted on this page.
My husband is not romantic in the traditional sense so Valentines day for me isn’t a big to do. I make it special for my girls though. We make heart shaped cards for Daddy to let him know how special he is to us. We pick out chocolate for him and I surprise them with their own card and candy. My husband may not show it like I’d prefer, but his love is all around me. It’s in the heat from the furnace, the gas in the car, the food on the table and the 2 beautiful girls he gave me. Getting a card on Valentines day is all cherry. God bless!
Oh, I like this giveaway!!
Well, I can’t say I really care for Valentine’s Day since I have never dated anyone, and of course when Valentine’s day comes around I usually get sad because it seems that everyone else in the world has dates. That’s when I curl up with a good book and treat it like any other day. Favorite memories are back in elementary school when we did the whole shoebox valentine’s cards. I miss those times…
I have mixed emotions about Valentine’s Day. Rarely do I and my husband do anything more than go out to eat together when we have the money. But he is still my Valentine because he has given me a lifetime committment which is more than chocolates, candy, flowers, etc.
I love Valentine’s Day but my husband is not so fond of it. I know he loves me as we have been married for over 30 years. He does try to get me something because he knows it means something to me. this year we have tickets to see a women’s basketball game. We are big UCONN fans.
What a wonderful giveaway this is. I love Valentines Day because my hubby always does something special for me. We always go out to eat and he always is buying me something very special for the day. We have also renewed our vows on Valentines Day.
What a fun contest! My favorite part of Valentine’s Day is making homemade Valentine’s to send to my nieces (even now when they’re all in their 20s) and now our son at college. This year I found a rubber stamp of a pig with wings, a toga, a bow and arrow… Cupig! He’s the feature of this year’s cards.
Valentines Day has special meanings for me. I think of my husband and the way the Lord sent him to me. I was 20 and had been ‘man-looking’ with several gals from church. We’d go to revival meetings and set wide-eyed, in search of the man of our dreams.
One gal met her match at our own church. I was so jealous of her. I had known him in school! How dare she get someone I had known for years!
That left 3 of us were left to find men. After searching as so many churches, I grew a bit weary. finally, I told the Lord I was giving up. If He had someone for me, He’d have to send him to my front door.
I live alone and had Bible study every Fri. evening. My girlfriends were always there to help with snacks. (Even the one who’d found my old friend) One night, when we had an especially big group, Someone came to the door and knocked. I went to the door, and there stood MY MAN!
I knew it in an instant! MY MAN! I invited him in, seated him and ran to the kitchen to tell the girls.
My sweetheart and I have been married 39 years.
Thank you, Lord!
I love Valentine’s Day! I love it because my sweet husband usually writes me beautiful word pictures: pictures of his love for me, described in beautiful prose, making me tear up and feel so loved. Forget the flowers (which I get). Forget the chocolates (which I get). I’m all about his words of love! Sigh….26 years of blessing.
Melissa Keith contacted me on facebook and said she was having trouble entering the contest. I am adding her entry here. If anyone else is having trouble you can try to enter via a different browser (like Chrome instead of IE) or you can email me at jamie @ jamiecarie .com (no spaces) or friend me on facebook (just search for jamie carie) and message me there.
Keep these awesome stories coming! I’m loving it! (and not getting any work done because it’s more fun to read your stories!!!) Hugs to all!
My daughter calls Valentines day Singles Awareness Day (or SAD), and we don’t do a lot to celebrate. I give my kids red undies. We eat chocolate (copious amounts of it). Mostly we ignore it.
Here’s another entry from someone who had trouble entering by their phone: From Mary Joan Zappa
Hello Jamie,
I went to your blog and I liked what I saw for the most part.
Unfortunately I am limited by only being able to access it via my cell
phone and it doesn’t operate the best. I really liked the hearts and
design as well as being able to read about your books and would love to
receive a signed copy of your books The Snowflake and Angel’s Den.
To answer your question about Valentine’s Day memories it brings a big smile to my face and I have to chuckle there was one year that a male friend and I talked about exchanging valentines. We were just beginning to know each other.There was a snow storm and we didn’t get together.
One week later we were talking on the phone and he told me he had eaten the candy he bought for me. I wasn’t surprised but, I thought maybe he had been romantic enough to have gotten a nice heart shaped box so I
asked him to hang on to the box. Well when we got together he brought out the box and it was just an ordinary box, no hearts on the box, no ribbon, not even red or pink. Silly me to have thunk that he had an ounce of romanticism within him. He’s long gone now. Another Valentine’s
Day coming up and I’m not in a relationship. I’m still waiting for that special valentine. It would be so nice just to receive a box of chocolates in a fancy heart shaped box on Valentine’s Day. Some day.
I love, love, love Valentine’s Day!!
My husband and I always make it special. For several years while I was working on the support staff of a church, James bought me bears for Valentine’s for my office. I have quite a collection.
And we now go to a Valentine’s banquet almost every year.
My husband isn’t much of a sweet talker, and of course, being a word person, I really want sweet words. He will read every card in the rack at the store until he finds one that says what he feels, so I also have quite a collection of mushy and funny Valentine cards.
I’m so lucky to have a husband who is kind and thoughtful ~ not just on Valentine’s Day.
This year I’m feeling nostalgic and can’t help but remember how my Mom always made the holidays and special occasions magical for us. She would make cookies and have little gift bags for us. Now, at the age of 72, she is still doing this not only for her grandchildren, but her great-grandchildren also.
Well, this will be our 29th Valentine’s Day together, so it’s getting more and more fun to make them interesting. The old standbys of chocolate, flowers, sexy stuff (and sex stuff), making dinner – they’re pretty worn out at this point. Although flowers still kinda go a long way with Sharon.
This year we live on Kauai, Hawaii, though, after 25 years in Indiana, so there are many ways to be creative. I think a romantic dinner at a beach-front restaurant, then maybe a walk on the beach with some macadamia nut ice cream… If I really take time to plan ahead, I can set up a bonfire and we can sit by the fire. With our 30th wedding anniversary coming up, I HAVE to make this one special!
Jamie:
Can you tell me if my post is included in the 63 shown above under the contest blog post? I don’t see it here and the posts only go up to 50. Thanks, Cecilia D
Hi Cecilia!
I don’t see an entry from you other than this one #14 so I’ll just count it as your entry. I think each page starts over at #1 but I will include each unique entry into the drawing! Good luck and God bless!
Wow, Chuck!! Hawaii! You’ve got an automatic leg up on most men in America. I hope you and yours are enjoying life there and I’m sure Sharon is about to get a wonderful Valentine’s Day. Congrats on your 30th!!!
April – it is SAD when people feel alone. I wish I were a fairy god-mother and could wave a magic wand that brings the love of their lives to those who want it. (Not that we married folks don’t have our challenges!!). Red undies are hilarious. My boys would groan aloud if I did that – might be funny!
Sherrinda – lucky you, my dear! Most men blanch when asked to write down their feelings. My guy picks out a card in about 5 minutes but, like others have said, he shows his love in lots of other ways!
Michelle – praying for a special day for you and that God will bring new dreams into your life that you haven’t even imagined yet! His plans are good!
Debbie and Jo – LOVE your stories.
Oh, this is the most fun blog I’ve ever done! Thanks everyone for sharing your heart and stories!!!!
Debby – I know what you mean. My husband says he gets performance anxiety (with trying to find a gift) on V-day. I’ve assured him over and over that he doesn’t have to buy me anything and that I just want to spend some special time with him, but all those jewelry commercials make him nervous. Men get a lot of pressure this time of year!
thanks for the contest, you are so cool!!
V-Day has a love hate relationship with me, when I was a kid it was stressful wondering if you’d be the one left holding the empty valentine’s box, but after I got married that all changed and I’ll never forget the most romantic valentine’s day when my husband gave me a lawn mower, wait don’t laugh it was self propelled
True story
they are more personal now.
Deb
V-day used to have a strange effect on me; I was always breaking up with my boyfriend. I think my only b/f who survived the day was in 1986, and of course, the one I married in 1991. Strange, eh?
Oh, in case you missed it, I listed The Snowflake as a Recommended Read:) Loved it, and those earrings you have pictured are GORGEOUS!
Valentine’s day usually is just dinner out and good conversation. It is not always on Valentine’s day due to crowds and rarely some place romantic usually one of our favorite places. Sometimes a movie if there is one worth seeing. We have been married now for 37 years. My mom and dad made it to 72 years together and I am shoot for that goal.
Thanks for a chance to win some of your books.
Debbie H – you made my day with the lawn mower story! Ha!
Molly – you are a peach! And a jewel and a sweetheart! Thanks, dear.
I love Valentine’s Day. My husband always gets me something great! Either flowers, chocolates, or a cute stuffed something. He has already got me a Valentine puzzle. He knows I enjoy doing puzzles. Tonight we went to Macaroni Grill and when I walked away from the table he bought a suprise pizza along with our main meal. He likes to celebrate holidays, days before they happen. He always says “I love you” every day several times to me no matter what day it is. We’ve been married 36 years – 37 years next month.
I enjoyed reading Angel’s Den. I haven’t read Snowflake. The first book I read of yours and online was Snow Angel, which my husband sent to me. I really enjoy reading your books. Thanks for the contest!
This is an awesome contest!
Hmm….Valentine’s Day is a fun day for my family and I where we actually exchange valentine’s with each other (usually candy, notes, etc.). However, other than that it’s SAD (Single’s Awareness Day), and a good chick flick and cup of cocoa are perfect for me.
Here’s what I wrote Jamie:
Valentine’s Day symbolizes the passionate, enduring love that I have shared with my husband for the past 32 years. We are more in love today than when we exchanged vows in 1978! Valentine’s Day for us is a time to celebrate, but that doesn’t always mean dinners out or expensive gifts. We just set the day apart for ourselves and make it special. Thanks for this chance to win your books, I love your stories, they always touch my heart. I look forward to your future work. Sincerely, Cecilia D
Valentine’s Day for me is somewhat bittersweet, like fine dark chocolate. I always think of my childhood sweetheart, who gave me my first rose. We remained lifelong friends. Sadly, he passed away at age 37, and I miss him terribly! To know you are loved, and that you love someone in return, is a priceless feeling. Happy Valentine’s Day to all : )
Valentine’s Day is a great reminder that Love is the greatest commandment that Jesus taught us. With that comes forgiveness and peace and hope. Happy Valentines Day to everyone!
Valentines Day is my Anniversary so I never forget it nor does my husband! I made it too easy on him!! I would love to win this contest you are trully my favorite writer and your books are so beautifully written!! And of all things this will be our 14th on the 14!! Ok, now I’m just being cheesy. Honestly we have been through alot this year financially and physically but God is always our rock!! Thanks for all you do. Happy Anniversary Day everyone oh I mean Valentines Day!!
I love Valentines day because it reminds me how much Jesus loves me!!!!!!
Valentine’s Day is bittersweet for me because it was the day I became engaged. Then, almost six years later, my husband told me he did not love me anymore. But I have hope that there is someone out there who will love me for who I am and make me feel loved, not just on Valentine’s Day!
Jamie – this has been a great thread! As a mushy romantic myself, it’s great – and heartbreaking – to read these comments. I wish I could make everyone feel loved….
Me too, Chuck! You’re such a sweetie!
Ann, praying the man of your dreams show up for you!
Amen, Kara!
Thank you, Trina! So much!!
XOXO!