You can talk to your best friend every day, but it’s especially great to thank them on Valentine’s Day! Time to give a fun but sweet gift to your bestie! We know it’s not always easy to choose a gift for a friend who already has everything. That’s why we have created this gift guide for Valentine’s Day 2024.
“A good heart is better than all the heads in the world”
February is the month of love and friendship.
Namely, February 14 is the worldwide Valentine’s Day.
On this day, it is traditional to share your kindness and love with your dear friends. We all want to meet our friends and loved ones, spend time together and share small gifts. Oh, and lots of hugs and kisses!
But what exactly is Valentine’s Day?
Valentine’s Day is celebrated among the masses all around the globe with stores filled with gifting materials and red balloons being a common sight around nations. You will even find couples in Bulgaria rejoicing this Day of love over a glass of classic local wine. Also, Romanian couples heading out to the forest to pick flowers and washing their faces in the snow as a sign of good luck. At the same time, lovebirds in Wales exchange unique and intricately handcrafted wooden spoons.
Valentine’s Day is a celebration rejoiced among individuals from around the globe, occurring in different ways and reflecting the local outlook on love!
If you cannot decide how to celebrate this holiday centred on love, consider planning a romantic dinner by candlelight or watching a romantic Valentine’s Day movie. Surely, never forget about making a Valentine’s Day card to inform others how important they are to you!
However, before setting your plans in place, check out this iconic holiday’s history and learn more about the essence of the 14th of February.
Historic Facts behind Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day marks a global celebration under the vocation of Saint Valentine, a mysterious saint, and why this festive celebration signifies such zeal! You should be astonished that there is a shady secret behind this festival as there are a couple of stories you should know about.
Valentine was notably a priest serving in Rome during the 3rd century. When Emperor Claudius announced that single men made better soldiers than the ones with wives and families, he even outlawed marriage for the younger soldiers.
Valentine protested against this injustice committed to younger men and started to perform hidden marriages between the young lovers. Upon finding out regarding their actions of Valentine, the emperor ordered the execution of the saint.
According to a couple of other tales, the saint might also have been killed while aiding the Christians to escape the ruthless Roman prisons where they were tortured. Eventually, Saint Valentine attained a lot of fame, and couples from all around the globe started celebrating this Day as Valentine’s Day, showcasing love!
Fun Facts About Valentine’s Day
1. Valentine’s Day Marked It’s Beginning of the Romans.
Two theories are lurking behind Valentine’s Day origins. A few believe that the Day is derived from a raucous Roman festival, Lupercalia. It was celebrated on the 15th of February when the men stripped naked and got spanked by the young maidens to maximize their fertility.
The other theory is that while Roman Emperor Claudius II tried bolstering his army, he forbade younger men to marry. St. Valentine defied the ban on the essence of love and went ahead with the secret marriages. It was for his disobedience Valentine got executed on the 14th of February, around 270 AD.
2. St. Valentine was named after more than a single person.
You might often know that Valentine’s Day was coined after its patron St. Valentine; however, there needs to be more clarity surrounding St. Valentine on which this holiday got marked. History.com noted that at least two men named Valentine could have inspired this holiday and rejoice, including one Valentine, a priest from third-century Rome.
The old tale depicts that this Valentine went against Emperor Claudius II’s ban on marriages as he considered it a factor that distracted younger soldiers. Valentine illegally started the custom of secret marriages in the essence of love till he got caught and faced the death sentence.
Some other legends suggest that Valentine was killed while helping the Christians escape from the prisons of Rome. He eventually sent the first Valentine’s message upon imprisonment, writing a letter “From your Valentine!”
3. The Holiday eventually got Erased from the Roman Calendar of Saints
Pope Paul VI decided to remove St. Valentine’s Day from the calendar enlisting the major holidays after the 1969 Second Vatican Council, mainly since there was very little evidence about the real St. Valentine.
But, it was observed religiously throughout. The Lutherans and Anglicans recognized the 14th of February as an official day for the feast, while the Eastern Orthodox Church celebrated St. Valentine on the 6th of July.
4. The Very First Celebration of Valentine’s Day happened in Paris
The first-observed official celebration of Saint Valentine’s Day happened in Paris on the 14th of February 1400, when King Charles VI of France established La cour amoureuse or the Love’s High Court. The court was operated by women and met to deal with divorces, marriage contracts, domestic violence, and infidelity.
5. Valentine’s Day started to get referred to as a romantic holiday by Geoffrey Chaucer
Is there anything more romantic than a royal marriage that took five years only for negotiation? You might raise an argument about being part of the reason behind Geoffrey Chaucer’s need for 699 lines of the poem to romanticize this occasion appropriately. The outcome was the “Parliament of Fowls,” mainly written to celebrate the union of Anne of Bohemia and King Richard II in 1380.
The poem centered on those lovebirds who came together pairing off in February. It was, for this reason, sent on Seynt Valentiyne’s Day, where he wrote that when each soul came together to pick his mate. However, the story is narrated by a female eagle who got unsatisfied with her suitors and got Mother Nature to give her another year to decide. It is a reminder to 600-year old that this is still true as there is no need to settle down, be it on holidays or no holidays.
6. Mass-production of Valentine’s Day cards started in 1913 by Hallmark
Even before becoming a giant for greeting cards as we know it today, the company continued to become Hallmark, started by a quiet kid from Nebraska named Joyce Clyde Hall, who sold imported foreign postcards to local retailers. In just a couple of years of dropping out of school and making his way out to the largest market of Kansas City enlisted his brother into this steadily expanding business.
Although they had started this foray into Valentine’s Day cards in 1913, a fire gutted the whole business. Two years later, the brothers refocused their efforts away from the postcards and started designing their original cards, including those for the holidays like Valentine’s Day.
But if you want to gift more than just a card this Valentine’s Day, we have the perfect solution for you! The perfect small yet lovely gift is a pair or two of socks! We have gathered already the cutest pairs for you in our Valentine’s Day 2024 collection. The two-pair packages are already packed in a gift box, so your job is just to give the gift to your friend!
The best Valentine’s Day gift is small yet memorable
The best Valentine’s Day gifts are those that are small yet memorable. That’s why socks make for the perfect gift for your friend. Not only are they practical and useful, but they can also be a playful and unexpected gift. Gifting a pair of socks with a cute or funny design, such as hearts or Cupid-themed patterns, can add a touch of whimsy to the holiday. Plus, it’s a gift that can be used and enjoyed daily.
And wearing matching socks when spending time together will be a fun way to celebrate the holiday together. Additionally, matching Valentine’s Day socks can be a fun conversation starter and a reminder of the special day whenever you’re wearing them. So why not make your friend’s feet happy and give them a small yet memorable pair of Valentine’s Day socks this year?
Gifting a box of socks is not only a unique and fun idea, but it’s also convenient for the giver. A gift box with 3 pairs of Valentine’s Day-themed socks is a perfect way to show your friend how much you care. Not only will they appreciate the practicality of the gift, but they’ll also be excited by the thought and effort you put into selecting the different designs.
The convenience of gifting a gift box is that it already comes packaged and ready to give, so the only thing you need to do is to give it to your friend.
Socks with magnetic paws are the perfect gift!
Looking for the best gift idea for your friend on Valentine’s Day? The popular and funny TIKTOK magnetic paw socks are just the right choice.
Delight your loved one or best friend with these cute socks! The socks have fun little paws with magnets, so the socks can hold hands just like you and your friend. Put these socks on together and take fun pictures and videos. These socks will surely bring joy.
A pair or two of socks is not enough? Choose the 7-day package!
When you just cannot decide on one single pair of socks, we have a great solution for you. Our 7-day gift boxes.
You can find a pleasantly warm pair of socks in the pack every day by opening the window. From Monday to Sunday. This is a practical yet a memorable gift for your friend.
To make everyone feel special, we have made many different packages: for a dog lover, a cat lover, a fancy man, a more modest friend and even children!
Surprises are always interesting and with this gift box you can even ask a friend for a picture of the socks they received every day!
Need something luxurious to pamper yourself or your best friend? Choose a shoulder scarf!
Our alpaca wool and silk blend shoulder scarves are a great gift for that special friend! The scarf keeps you warm even on chilly summer nights. A classic and luxurious material is soft to the touch, delicate but extremely durable. Warmer than sheep wool, alpaca wool does not contain lanolin which makes it allergy-free. Choose from the variety of colors and patterns. The scarf is packaged in a classy gift box – a very elegant gift to give your loved ones.