Okay, some of you may know about the family tradition that vies for first place in my book (and one I’ve tried to pass on). It comes around this time of year, the color scheme is inevitably pink and red, and the theme is horribly predictable: LOVE.

Yep, that’s right. Our Valentine’s Day family tradition every year growing up consisted of a much anticipated home-baked dinner around our big, wooden table. But, don’t worry, it doesn’t stop there. Oh, no. Each child (5 of us) received an original poem, written by the hostess extraordinaire (mother, dearest). The table set with pink, red, and white decorations (from last year’s clearance of course!) and beside each plate sat our pink tapioca and a heart-shaped cake with special pink frosting and our name spelled out on the inside.

Throughout the evening, the fam would laugh, share stories, and just let some serious love happen. When I was younger, I’m not sure I thought it was super cool, but I think I appreciated it deep down. Now, boy do I ever love it. I repeated it in college with my roommates junior year. I sent letters to parents, raided the local Dollar Tree, and kept it a surprise until the night when I served roast on our coffee table covered with reds, pinks, and whites. It’s one of my favorite memories from college.

And now we’re going to try to give a shot here, on Tuesday with our 20 girls from the 10th grade. I’ll let you know how it goes. The idea is to get our minds off of what the world makes of love and back on to the real meaning. It’s a GREAT idea to celebrate love… we just have to make sure we do it the right way.

Thanks, mom. You’re the best!