DJ-Elcy via Deviant Art
For most romantics, Valentine’s Day these days means expensive dinners and extravagant gifts to express and celebrate their love for that special someone. It’s also one of the most lucrative days for businesses across the globe. According to Statista.com, men will spend more than $19 billion this year on sales related to the holiday. Jewelry stores can expect close to $4.8 billion as well. If that’s not enough, an estimated whopping $703 million will be spent on gifts for pets!
But this wasn’t always the case for Valentine’s Day, which actually dates back to the 5th century and has a history that may not be as lovey-dovey as modern day traditions might suggest.While there are many legends and saints named Valentine, the one historians associate with the day is Saint Valentine of Rome who, under the rule of Emperor Claudius, defied a decree forbidding priests to perform marriages. Claudius had decided that single men were better for war, but Saint Valentine did not care and continued to marry young lovers. After he was discovered by Claudius, he was martyred in 269 AD.
Other legends suggest Saint Valentine protected Christian prisoners from harsh Roman jailers and after being imprisoned himself he wrote a letter to a young lady with the ending lines, “from your Valentine.” Following this, historians believe that Saint Valentine’s Feast Day Christianized the Roman fertility festival in February called Lupercalia. Following that, the first written Valentine’s appeared in the 1400s and now Valentine’s Day is celebrated in Canada, Mexico, Britain, France and Australia.
History lesson aside, Valentine’s Day today has become a day dedicated to cherishing the one (or ones) you love. In the spirit of that, here are a few ideas to consider from some of our Spotlight Companies that will surely score you some points.
Wining and Dining: Willamette Valley Vineyards (WVVIP) (WWVI)
The buzz about Oregon’s Willamette Valley is real and wine enthusiasts are starting to really taste the similarities between the region’s grapes and the famous Burgundy region in France. The company is known for their Estate Pinot Noir that perfectly exemplifies the “Oregon Style” with notes of raspberry, cherry, walnut and orange spice. One bottle is $30 and a case is $360 and keep be shipped to your door.
Intimate Apparel: Naked Brand Group (NAKD)
Photo by torange.biz
The innovative inner fashion and lifestyle brand has an intimates collection of “invisible edge” bras and panties. All of these products are made from smooth, lightweight Italian Euro Jersey fabric that incorporates SensElast™ velvet lamination on the inside of the underbust, waistband and leg opening to help these products stay in place more comfortably as well as prevent rolling at the waist and ride-up. Signature intimates are designed for all day effortless comfort and a light as air fit that, true to Naked’s brand mission, feels and looks as if you are wearing nothing at all.
A Little Mood Music: AfterMaster Inc. (AFTM)
AfterMaster’s highly-touted AfterMaster Pro will make your Netflix movie sound a whole lot better. The device – smaller than an iPhone – masters and re-masters inconsistent sound in real-time, making it not only seamless, but more exciting and balanced than ever before. It creates an audio experience that stands light years ahead of anything on the market today.
Aftermaster has built a groundbreaking way to experience new depths of sound, unmatched by any current audio technology, and it fits in the palm of your hand.
Or, if all else fails, you could always mix and match. For example, listen to your Aftermaster Pro perfect audio movie with a bottle of Willamette Valley’s crisp Pinot Noir! Whatever does the trick!
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