Valentine’s Day is a time of great celebration for ‘loved up’ couples in many parts of the world.

Falling annually on February 14, it is celebrated in most western countries by millions and millions of couples - from teenagers in ‘puppy love’ to grandparents in their seventies or eighties.

It’s a big occasion in many western countries including the United States, England, Canada, New Zealand and of course, Australia.

Valentine’s Day was a momentous occasion for Australia way back in 1966 and not purely from the ‘love aspect’ as 14/02/1966 was the date which saw the introduction of decimal currency, when pounds, shillings and pence were replaced by dollars and cents.

Initially, the $20.00 note was the highest paper value! $50.00 notes were introduced a few  years later (1973) – and $100.00 notes later still (1984).

The $5.00 note was also a (slightly) late bloomer (1967) as when decimal currency was introduced, there were both $1.00 and $2.00 notes (these later morphed into gold-coloured coins in 1984 and 1988 respectively).

But we digress – back to Valentine’s Day!

It is a common belief that Valentine’s Day is celebrated on February 14 to commemorate the passing of St Valentine around 270 AD.

Other historians have formed the view that the Catholic Church placed the feast day of St Valentine the day prior to the pagan celebration day of Lupercalia, a fertility festival which honoured Faunus (the Roman god of agriculture) as well as the twin brothers Romulus and Remus, who according to Roman mythology were the founders of Rome.

Pope Gelasius declared February 14 to be St Valentine’s Day towards the end of the fifth century but it wasn’t until many centuries later that the date specifically became associated with love and romance.

Famed English poet Geoffrey Chaucer (whose best-known work was The Canterbury Tales) referred to St Valentine’s Day in his poem Parliament Of Foules in 1375, the first official recording of February 14 being a day of romantic celebration.

So whichever school of thought you follow – third century, fifth century or fourteenth century, St Valentine’s Day has surely been around for a long time!

While COVID-19 has impacted heavily on so many aspects of our lives and on the business world over the past two years, retail turnover remains buoyant for events of celebration – Christmas, Easter, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day….and Valentine’s Day, as well.

Florists, restauranteurs, chocolatiers and perfumiers have always done well on Valentine’s Day but in this age of technology, people are coming up with many other ideas when it comes to gifts for their belles and beaus.

Red roses, jewellery, romantic weekends away, Harbour cruises, boxes of chocolates and bottles of wine remain traditional favourites, but it’s 2022 after all, and the young and young at heart are just as likely to gift their ‘other half’ an iPhone, an Apple watch, a laptop or some headphones.

An exotic perfume is another perfect ‘go to’ item so if you’re looking for that last minute item for the wife, husband or partner, a bottle of amazing Bujairami Perfume from Stockland at Wetherill Park is the answer. Manufactured in exotic Dubai and perfected in Sydney, Bujairami Perfume is available in some wonderful aromas for both guys and gals from as little as $45.00 a bottle. www.bujairami.com.au

But if you want to go all out for that special someone, we can think of no better Valentine’s Day gift for the wife or partner than a full bathroom renovation from Yes I Can Renovations.

If your bathroom is looking old and tired, there’s no doubt that the wife has already been thinking or even dreaming about a new bathroom.

Yes I Can Renovations is Sydney’s fastest growing and most innovative building company, using state of the art, virtual reality design software so you will be able to see how your new bathroom will look before it’s even been built!

We will transform your tired old bathroom into a modern, stylish and luxurious but at the same time safe and practical bathroom in a few short weeks.

We only use the best systems, the best processes, the best materials and the best tradesmen, who are all highly experienced, fully licensed and fully insured.

Come on guys, we know she already loves you but you will really be in the good books if you get your bathroom remodelled by Yes I Can Renovations - and remember:

 “At Yes I Can, if we can’t do it, no one can!”