Two NYT Valentine's Day Stories To Love
Get lost in small acts of love and the history of the first kiss.
Whether you've got big plans for romance this Valentine's Day or you're flying solo (or are still coming down from yesterday's Galentine's Day), two stories from The New York Times are worth your time.
I love this sweet little digital feature called "100 Small Acts of Love."
Melonyce McAfee and Catherine Pearson Illustrations by Laura Edelbacher
It's just reader-submitted rituals and habits from their daily lives that were special not just because it was fun to see what little things people do for their partners but also allowed you to see how much these small gestures meant to the recipients. It's a reminder that we can't always know the value our loved ones place on the things that may just feel like "the way we do things."
Some of my favorites include:
My husband writes me 365 love notes a year. Many of the topics are small, funny inside jokes. Others are big and deep.
Kelly Whitaker, Golden Valley, Minn.
Until we met, my husband thought tucking someone in at bedtime meant pushing the covers under them so they resembled a mummy. More than seven years after I corrected this notion, he still gently tucks the blanket under the edges of my body every night.
Lara Wagner, Atlanta
My fella and I kiss each other every time we get in and out of the car. It’s our love toll.
Kate Samson, Ardmore, Pa.
Building off that sweet notion of a "love toll," the other story is about the married researchers who rolled back the clock on when the first kiss actually happened.
By
The couple's backstory is a nice addition to this historic summary of the custom of kissing throughout history. The recitation of the facts can be a bit dry, raising the potential for one's eyes to glaze over, but every now and then, there's a mention of a juicy detail that livens things up.
It brought to mind this scene from last year's hit film, The Holdovers.
Happy Valentine's Day.