Valentine RX: Loveland, CO.

Think of today’s little article as a public service announcement for the romantic who lurks in all of us but loathes the commercialization of February 14th.

Lurk no more.

I’m telling you right now, FYI, how you can celebrate Valentine’s Day without getting all sloppy and maudlin — and without spending somewhere between $100 and $200 that most guys typically spend on V-Day. My solution? Loveland. Loveland, Colorado, AKA “The Sweetheart City.”

What? You’ve never heard of Loveland? You’ve never heard of the best way ever to celebrate Valentine’s Day?

Go to their website and you’ll see just how proud Loveland is of its “Sweetheart City Valentine Program:”

“Since 1947, The Chamber(of Commerce), the Loveland Post Office, and 60 volunteer stampers have been bringing love, hope, and sentiments to people in all 50 states and more than 110 countries with a special cachet stamp and message through the program.”

Read more closely, though, and you’ll realize that this re-mailing program originally had nothing to do with love or romance. It began, in fact, as a gimmick for stamp collectors.

That’s right. The Loveland Stamp Club wanted to start this re-mailing program as more of a “stamp collection oddity” than as a romantic surprise. But those dedicated philatelists couldn’t get their idea off the ground. So they contacted Ted Thompson, local marketing whiz who was manager of the Rialto Theater and President of the Chamber of Commerce. Right away, he saw the built-in promotional opportunities of a city called Loveland. Loveland…hearts, flowers, romance, Valentine’s Day. Aha!

Aha! as in hey kids, let’s have a contest every year to see who can write the best Valentine’s Day poem. Then we can tell people everywhere to send their valentines here where our post office will postmark them with the winning poem.

Of course, we’re not talking “Sonnets from the Portuguese” here. We’re talking about short n’ sweet little 4-line verses that can easily fit on most valentines. Like last year’s poem:

From the Sweetheart City
Scenic, Safe, and Strong
Comes a flood of Valentine wishes
To you, where they belong.

My personal favorite, though, has to be the one from 2013 that celebrates the quaintness — and effectiveness — of Loveland’s true mission:

A text, Twitter, or e-mail will do,
But not the same as a love letter from you.
From the “Sweetheart City” on Valentine’s Day,
Sending you wishes the old-fashioned way.

Now there’s a beautiful sentiment that would make anyone — from your sweetheart to your grandma to the forgotten receptionist who always makes your life easier — a lot happier on the 14th.

So go ahead. If you hurry up and send your stamped, addressed valentines to Loveland BEFORE next Thursday, February 5th, your card will arrive on the 14th. But the earlier the better.

Just find a card for your valentine. A nice one. Remember, splurge! Be sure to legibly print the correct address, along with the proper return address, and leave enough room for the post office to stamp the poem. Then make sure to put on enough stamps to cover the postage.

After that, put your valentine (or valentines) inside a larger envelope and mail to :

POSTMASTER: ATTN: Valentines!
Loveland, CO 80538-9998

Then feel good about what you’ve just done.

A beautiful gesture, romantic yet understated, always speaks volumes.

Toujours l’amour!