Valentine cards as we know them have been sent since Victorian times. Originally hand-made and decorated with pictures of hearts, flowers, birds and LOTS of lace, they are traditionally sent anonymously, even going so far as to disguise handwriting or posting in another town (to avoid giving a clue in the postmark!)

The modern Valentine card is big business and shops selling greetings cards will start stocking up soon after Christmas. There is still a large market for the flowery, sentimental card, but many modern cards tend to the "cute" style and there is always a market for the humorous insult (especially if you don't have to identify yourself!)

St. Valentine's Day is traditionally the day on which the birds are supposed to choose their mate (which makes it a bit of a non-event for those species which pair for life!)

Updated 4th February...