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Valentine’s Day Blues | Ought to You Have fun?

A Seattle divorce law firm celebrating Valentine’s Day?

Several years ago our local Chamber of Commerce held monthly social / networking events in various companies. Our law firm offered to host such an event. When the dates for the various events were announced, we found that we had been assigned February, a date just a few days away from Valentine’s Day (possibly even the day after).

As you can imagine, Valentine’s Day didn’t seem like a good topic for a divorce law firm. At the same time, we’d be too close to vacation to simply ignore it. So we decided we could only have one party the other day. So we put it together as the Broken Hearts Post-Valentine’s Day Blues Party.

We had a blues playlist all along. We have selected wines with suitable names such as Ménage à Trois, Drunken Goat and Vixen. We even had a special neon light as the centerpiece with a glowing broken heart.

The best thing, though, was that we managed to find some Valentine’s Day candy hearts called Bittersweets from a company called Despair, Inc. Instead of the usual romantic sayings, they said things like “Mommy Issues”, “Return My CDs” and “CU in court”.

The party went well and we felt like we were dealing with a divorce office as best we could. However, we didn’t sign up for the same date the following year.

Why does the world celebrate Valentine’s Day?

Surprisingly, Valentine’s Day isn’t just a creation of greeting card companies. The day actually celebrates Holy Valentine’s Day, a popular saint in the Middle Ages (see History of Valentine’s Day), though it’s a bit hazy who the original Holy Valentine’s Day actually was. According to the History Channel, “The oldest known Valentine’s Day still in existence today was a poem that Charles, Duke of Orleans wrote to his wife in 1415 when he was imprisoned in the Tower of London after his capture at the Battle of Agincourt. ”

Before the advent of commercial Valentine cards, it had become common practice at least in the 18th century to exchange handmade Valentine cards. Not all valentines were sent to lovers, however. In the Victorian era (1800), when commercially printed cards became fashionable, there was also apparently a tradition of “vinegar Valentines” designed to ward off unwanted applicants. One such card read: “For my Valentine’s Day / It is a lemon that I am giving you and now offering you” Skidoo “because I love someone else – there is no chance for you”.

Even outside of suit warnings, there were more general “comic book Valentines” meant to mock or insult almost anyone, from landlords to employers to almost anyone else to be angry about. These cards were sometimes so mean that they were confiscated by the postal authorities and sometimes resulted in suicide or murder. Really, the era had its evil side!

Coping with Valentine’s Day in 2021

Today, of course, Valentine’s Day is about a lot more than just cards. It’s the day of romance, dinner (if you can find a reservation), roses, and chocolate (this year my wife and I won’t be going out, but chocolate is still expected!). However, for the recently separated or divorced, it has the potential for heartbreak. The best approach in this case might be to accept it in all of its terrible glory. Just like at our party many years ago, put on some blues and snuggle up on the couch with some red wine, chocolate and maybe a classic movie. If you’d like to use your vacation to visit our lawyers and come up with a course of action for your divorce blues, we’re here to do that too.

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