After what must be 3 billion class Valentine’s Day parties, my days of doing kid’s valentines are over. Jasper is in fifth grade and we made our very last valentine box. While this doesn’t make me even slightly sad this year, I bet I’ll feel a little melancholy about it next year. We handed out store-bought donuts (homemade treats are actually allowed in our school but I recently got a job and don’t have as much free time), but the kids all inhale the goodies without paying much attention anyway, so who cares. I did drive to the donut shop at 6 am, though, I deserve some credit. A very cute girl came up to Jasper as we were leaving and said shyly, “Jasper, your donut was my favorite thing that I got to day.” SCORE!
The valentine’s box, though, that makes a statement. Jasper wanted something just perfect. However he’s a ten-yea-old boy so his definition of perfect is a little . . . odd. He perused the internet and didn’t find an idea that resonated. So I suggested he make a box that looked like his head. He took my idea and ran with it. After the fastest and crappiest Photoshop editing I’ve ever done and a quick jaunt to Kinkos for 14″ tall print of his face we were good to go.
Jasper cut out out the mouth to put the valentines in (obviously. Because where else should you put candy?). And then added a body, because if one shoe box is good, two is way better. And one of his old shirts for the box to wear. And then we added two miniature hands which Mister had in his bedside table (yes, he’s has a set of tiny plastic hands. That’s the kind of guy my husband is).
I have to say, the box was funny, cool and slightly creepy by the time we were all done.
The box was a big hit at the Valentine’s party. At least that was the word on the street. I didn’t actually go to the party because I have better things to do with my time than stand around with ten other parents watching 25 Fifth Graders decorate sugar cookies. But Jasper got to finish his last ever Elementary school Valentine’s Day on a high note and that’s the important thing.
