John Lennon famously used to make fun of Paul McCartney’s songwriting, calling them “silly love songs.” It’s not hard to grasp Lennon’s point; there may not be another emotion that gets exploited more than love (although we are getting pretty good at anger these days.) If you walk into a big box retailer on Christmas Eve, you’ll see the employees stripping all the garland off the shelves and replacing it with boxed chocolates and stuffed bears. Viewed through this lens, Valentine’s Day and its underlying sentiment can seem as untrustworthy as any mid-century ad campaign dreamed up by a real life Don Draper.
Lennon (and Lenin, for that matter) might have used Loveland, Colorado as Exhibit A in the Case of the Commercialized Amour. For 80 years, the Chamber of Commerce has sponsored a “Valentine Remailing Program” which lets Romeos — and surely many Juliets — from around the world send a card to the object of their affection bearing a special postmark from the Sweetheart City. (If you are wondering why yours has not yet arrived, it’s probably because I inadvertently missed the deadline for delivery by February 14.) Locals can also purchase the opportunity to express their love via a heart emblazoned with their special message and affixed to a lamppost by the city. (Wait ’till next year!) Added to this are a Miss Loveland Valentine contest, a Little Miss Valentine and Mr. Cupid Contest, a ceremony in which dozens of couples are married or renew their vows, a 4-mile foot race, and an all day festival. Is this a celebration of romance or an all-out bid to grab a slice of the tourist dollars that more often travel 30 miles west to Estes Park?
Why not both? Is a celebration of love not genuine just because it is profitable? (I’m guessing that it is not all that profitable.) Towns can be known for all sorts of things. Because the soil near the banks of Delaware River contained clay that was especially good for porcelain, Trenton, New Jersey was know as the toilet capital of the United States for many years. Loveland might as well be known for celebrating love. And not just sibling love or the love of a parent for their child, but full on romantic sweetheart love.
What else can explain an explosion of joy like the one above? I don’t know that couple’s story, but I bet it has more than one chapter. A display of affection like that is a gift to everyone who sees it, because joy nutures hope, and hope gives us the courage to love. Then the gift can be shared again. What’s wrong with that? I’d like to know.