Happy Valentine's Day! Remember When?

Remember those great Valentine's Day postage boxes that almost every grade school room had back in the vintage days of our youth? Each child carefully chose just the right card for each classmate in their homeroom, carried them to school, and secretly dropped them into the slot of the box when no one was looking. At least that's how it worked in my school, Couzen's Grade School in Stambaugh, Michigan.

Since Arlene's parents owned a grocery store, each year, she was the selected student to bring in the perfect large box for the Valentine exchange. Sometimes the box was already decorated in hearts and bows but often the teacher employed her creative skills getting the box beautified and ready for the big day.

On the day of the long awaited Valentine's Day party, two children were selected to act as "postmen" to deliver the cards to each child waiting anxiously at her or his desk. The suspense, I remember well, was breathtaking. But finally we were allowed to open our cards to see who sent which card.

All voices them erupted—despite the teacher's request for quiet—as we compared cards with the other kids, well, mostly with the other girls since the boys remained pretty much unmoved by all the celebration. All they wanted was to get into those wonderful frosted cupcakes, Valentine-shaped cookies, and Dixie Cups brought in by the teacher and some of the students.

After school, we clutched our bag of Valentines, the tiny paper basket of printed "Be Mine" sweet heart candies, and ran all the way home to show our Mothers our treasures! Then, amidst the ooh's and aah's of our Mothers we prepared for the long wait until the next Valentine's Day.

But, in the meantime, my mom and I pasted all my cards into a scrapbook to keep for future.

"So you won't forget," Mom said.

As if a girl could ever in this world forget such a momentous event as Valentine's Day!