Love is all around us - By CHOI TUCK WO

Valentine’s Day greeting cards are out again and these days they are not just for romantic couples alone.

WITH Valentine’s Day just around the corner, it’s that time of the year to send sentimental cards to your loved ones. For the truly romantic, a candlelight dinner, a leisure cruise, a bouquet of flowers, or a lovely gift to express their love could also be on the cards. Then again, love now comes in all shapes and sizes: it’s no longer confined to lovers but also extends to other family members, and even pets. Thus, you can find an increasing number of Valentine cards dedicated to Mum, Dad, Granny, Grandad or the family dog or cat.

The new trend has raised questions over whether that special day has fallen victim to a cynical marketing strategy. In fact, many stores in Britain are stocking up Valentine cards specifically aimed at family members and pets but none to couples. Instead of the typical love message, you may find one dedicated to a son who “stands out from the crowd and makes everyone proud.”

Or another with a charming reminder of the “kindness and gentleness of two very special people who make it all happen – a grandma and grandad like you.” There are also cards devoted to mums and dads with inspiring phrases like “of all the mummies and daddies in the world, you are the greatest of all.”

Puppy love

Puppy love is in the air too, with cards featuring cats and dogs as well as hearts and flowers meant for the family’s favourite feline or precious pooch. One, a touching message from a dog which read “Happy Valentine’s Day from the one who gives you unconditional puppy love,” must have come from a pet lover falling head over heels in love with his furry friend. Indeed, such cards can also be sent from one pet to another, offering comfort for the depressed goldfish, lovesick hamster or lonely rabbit.

So, more Britons are now buying gifts and cards for dogs and cats they regard as part of their family. And some men seem to prefer spending their holidays with just their pets; the animals are believed to have helped to lower their stress levels. The same apparently goes for women. Some are known to favour celebrating Valentine’s Day with their four-legged companions because they’re more in tune with their feelings than anyone.

At this point, it looks like romantic love isn’t the only kind nowadays. The rising popularity of pets’ cards goes to show that some people just want to express affection for the other loved ones in their lives apart from their partners. There are also those who use their pets to strike up friendship with others. It can be while walking their dogs, at pigeon racing clubs, cat shows or even the veterinary’s waiting room. To them, giving a Valentine card from one pet to another can be a nice way of breaking the ice.

No killjoys

Alas, cynics have sneered at the new trend, especially in cases where seemingly loving couples would send cards to their pets but not to each other. For instance, they find it hard to understand the logic of sending cards to or from pets. Neither can they accept the fact that a wife could get a card from her cat or dog but not one from her husband or vice versa.

Despite the growing cynicism about the new trend, more than 30 million cards and over 25 million heartfelt text messages are expected to be sent in Britain this year.And the Valentine’s Day boom is getting more expensive by the year, with over £40mil (RM280mil) spent on flowers alone annually.

While the bouquet can melt the hearts of even the most unromantic lovers, it may be depressing to know the bunch of flowers could have traveled half way round the world to Britain. The question is, how green are your flowers, given that most roses would have been transported from the Netherlands or even Africa, some 50,000km away?

Environmentalists are no killjoys. But they’re rightfully concerned about the impact of air freighting flowers from across the globe on global warming. Perhaps it’s high time to opt for home-grown blooms or a simple gift to celebrate the occasion.

After all, it’s the thought that counts, right?

Choi Tuck Wo is Editor, European Union Bureau, based in London