Valentine's Box

Back in the "old days", when we not only learned to read, write, spell, and calculate in school, we had time for art! One project that you could count on doing every year in grade school was making a Valentine's Day box/container. I remember weaving hearts together one year to make a Valentine's envelope. Then on Valentine's Day, you brought your Valentines that came with that cheap envelope that couldn't be sealed to school and distributed them after lunch, but before the party. Most the valentines were just valentines signed with a name; occasionally you'd score and someone would tuck a few candy conversation hearts into that unsealable envelope and tape it shut... boy, I thought those were a real treat!

Flash forward 30 years... how things have changed! No longer does the making of the Valentine's Box happen at school. It becomes one of those home projects where each kid feels like they have to "out do" at least every kids in the class, if not the whole school, by having the coolest box. What makes a box "cool" is debatable... some kids think the biggest equals cool, or the pinkest, or sparkliest, or most unique. I think the "coolest" is the simplest! Now, I really shouldn't complain too much... at least at Nolan's school there isn't a theme to follow or a contest to determine "coolest box", but it's still a pain to make a box every year... why can't a brown bag suffice? Anyway, since Valentine's Day is NOT cool if you are a 5th grade boy, the box making can be a challenge. It can't be pink at all or "lovey looking"; it has to be "manly". This year, Nolan's box is a brown hairy monster that eats the valentines.
Now, the giving of Valentines has also evolved since the 70's. Finally the Valentine's manufactures grew a brain and got rid of those unsealable envelopes. Most valentines seal with a heart shaped sticker. Gone are the days of the "occasional candy conversation heart surprise"; treats are now expected with every valentine... a miniature candy bar is standard. This holiday has turned into another sugar-high fest. Not to be left out this year, Nolan is giving "Fun Dip" valentines because they are not lovey at all and they taste good. In exchange, he should bring home 32 valentines, each complete with their own treat.