Each holiday I decorate throughout my house leaving the dining room as the place I display vintage post cards and decor. I enjoy rummaging through antique stores for vintage holiday post cards and ornamentation to add to my collection.
The way they made Valentine cards a hundred years ago are intricate, detailed, and beautiful.
Valentine’s Day cards bring about a whole new life to my dining room. By chance years ago I opened an unassuming box to find vintage Valentine’s Day cards filled to the brim. They were saved and boxed by my Great Grandma Lillian Gamache (nee Gau). She acquired them as child and into young adulthood.
I was happily overwhelmed with the discovery of these beautiful vintage Valentine’s with dates ranging between 1910-1919! Reading and studying them I realized how important they were for her to keep safe. I separated them out and dispersed them between cousins and siblings. Having saved a few for myself I couldn’t wait to display them.
Valentine’s Day cards aren’t typical holiday decor in 2022. I believe they add a delicate and sweet pop of history, color and texture to a space.
My cousin Amy chose to display her Valentine’s year round by placing them in shadow boxes. See below.
The idea of a day set aside to show extra special love to the people around you is my kind of day.
My childhood Valentines Day traditions as a young girl was to pass Valentines Day cards out to my classroom of friends and receive a Whitman’s Sampler box of chocolates from my parents. I continued the tradition of getting my daughters the same chocolate on Valentine’s Day. In the morning I make a batch of cinnamon rolls in a heart shaped pan. Recently, I found the same heart pan on Etsy so I can share a pan of cinnamon rolls with others. Our Valentine’s Day cinnamon rolls tradition is a family favorite!
Placing my Great Grandma’s vintage Valentine’s Day cards out for display is a tradition I will keep.
These small treasures add a simple splash of holiday cheer that modern Valentine cards seem to lack.
As January ends and February begins I know the cards, or my heart, wait expectantly for me to display them. These old Valentine’s Day cards are tangible memories of my Great Grandma that continue to bring messages of love, cheer, and hope all these years later. Would you consider decorating with vintage Valentines cards too?
Want to cozy up this February with a warm cup of Hot Wassail? Give this recipe a try!
Roots of Discovery 
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