Photo: https://arlingtontoday.com/the-meaning-of-valentines-day/
Welcome back to The Sunstone Way.
Valentine’s Day is this Friday, Feb. 14. For more than a century, the holiday has been all about love – roses, chocolate, cards, romantic dinners. At least that’s been the case in the United States, with some variations in Europe.
But there was a darker side of Valentine’s Day at its inception.
Church Martyrs
Back in the third century, Valentine was a fairly common name – I can see Vals running around in togas. That also was the time of the Roman Empire, and Christians were being persecuted.
According to legend, Emperor Claudius II executed two men named Valentine. Both were killed on Feb. 14, but in different years. It prompted the Catholic Church to begin celebrating St. Valentine’s Day.
There are other Valentine stories, mostly with sad endings, at least for Valentine. One account had Saint Valentine of Rome in prison awaiting execution. Before he was killed, he restored the sight of the jailer’s blind daughter. Valentine died, but the jailer and his entire family converted to Christianity.
The Love Connection comes in later legends, with Valentine performing weddings for Christian soldiers who had been forbidden to marry by the emperor before he was arrested and healed the jailer’s daughter. A popular addition came in the 18th Century, when Valentine reportedly wrote the daughter a farewell letter before his execution signed “Your Valentine.”
Blossoming Love
Proving the power of the pen, both Shakespeare and Chaucer popularized St. Valentine and Valentine’s Day as expressions of love. Handmade paper cards were handed out by ardent suitors in the Middle Ages.
Leave it to the Americans to take it to the next level. In 1913, Hallmark Cards began mass-producing Valentine cards. Not much later, the type of Valentine recipient expanded, with mothers receiving cards their children had made in school, and Valentine’s Day card exchanges at those schools for youngsters to experience their first loves and/or broken hearts.
While cards seem ubiquitous, Americans actually spend more money on candy for Valentine’s Day. In 2023, $2.2 billion was spent on candy the week of Valentine’s. That weighed out at 58 million pounds. And while chocolate is the preferred adult candy, the largest single segment of sales is conversation hearts – those little heart-shaped candies with a word or two like Love or Kiss Me stamped on them.
Get Creative
You don’t even have to watch a Hallmark movie to know that finding an unusual or creative gift is the best way to make Valentine’s Day memorable. It can literally be creative, as in making it yourself, or it may be planning an experience you know he or she will enjoy.
Jewelry specific to your Valentine works, as does a personal luxury you know they wouldn’t buy for themselves. This is where the old cliché “It’s the thought that counts” actually works.
Whether it’s a heart-shaped box of candy or a hand-made heart ring, the key is making a Valentine’s Day gift a symbol of renewal for your relationship. You can see a person every day for 25 years or more and still do something new and exciting that reaffirms your bond.
A Larger Platform
I’d like to think every day can be Valentine’s Day – with my lovely wife and with our approach here at Sunstone. We try to make our love for our various communities known every day. We’re here to support and to give the best we have in terms of talent.
We’re always looking for new ways to help, whether that’s a Public Infrastructure Financing Solution or a forward-looking energy strategy. It’s always exciting to share new information and new approaches.
Then There’s Cupid
You remember Cupid, the little cherub with a bow and arrow tied directly to Valentine’s Day. He goes around making people fall in love with one another.
Well, we are Cupid too. No, I don’t have a bow and arrow or wings, but I do have a habit of putting people together. We create public-private partnerships, finding the matches that work the best. We help get past that awkward first date phase. And we love to celebrate when the match works.
After all, that’s The Sunstone Way. Happy Valentine’s Day!
And remember to always be a Sunstone!
John Keisler
CEO & Managing Partner
Sunstone Management, Inc.
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©Sunstone Management, Inc. 2025