It turned out to be a smart move on Valentine's part to have been beheaded on February 14. A case of being in the right place at the right time. Some years later, when Christianity had gained a stranglehold on most of Europe, the Church fathers encountered yet another strange pagan practice. In the middle of February, young men would draw the names of women in their village and send a token in honor of the goddess, Februata Juna. Harmless enough, but the powers that be were really big on the monotheistic trip so it had to go.
Having realized that they could not eradicate paganism, the Church Fathers took the Borg route and went for assimilation. They pulled a quick substitution on the Februata thing. If any guy wanted to send a card, it would have to be in honor of our friend Valentine. I think that the church hoped that women would be offended by the brutal end of St. Valentine (what kind of token would you send? Your rival's severed head?) and the practice would die out. No such luck. They vastly underestimated the power of the greed. A present is a present, even if it involves dismemberment.
Moving ahead to the 20th century...eventually the bloody legend of St. Valentine fell into disuse. Februata was forgotten (the Church accomplished that much at least) and Valentine's Day became a fairly popular occasion for the attached to show affection for their partner. A box of candy, a bouquet of roses - I'm sure it was sweet, sincere, and romantic. Unfortunately, early in this century,an evil greeting card executive who had an eye on a corner office decided to exploit Valentine's Day in order to beef up 3rd quarter profits.
He met with a representative from the Elementary School Teachers Association and a reputable psycho-analyst. Together they planned an assault on the youth of America. It took over three weeks of secret meeting, encoded documents, and clandestine excursions. But when they were finished, there was a comprehensive, multi-phase plan to ensure the commercial success of Valentine's Day and subsequent business for the ever-growing field of Psychiatry. (After the first week, the Elementary School teachers were given the run around. They need not be held accountable.)
It all began with a suggestion that it would be nice if the children exchanged Valentines with their classmates. When it became apparent that the children were only sending Valentines to the people they like, and second proposal was made - wouldn't it be nice if the children exchanged Valentine's with all their classmates. Yes, that meant that you had to send one to the strange boy with the funny clothes, and that girl who always crossed her eyes trying to see the tip of her tongue.
The teachers underestimated the ingenuity of children (this was planned in weeks 2 and 3). Frustrated in their desire to maintain a pecking order, they became more subtle, as the psychiatrist knew they would. Popularity was measured in volume. If everyone was supposed to get 26 valentines, then it became necessary to receive at least 40. This ensured a greater profits for the greeting card executive.
Events unfolded as planned for a number of years. Mothers took their weeping, disenfranchised children for analysis. The executive got his corner office with a view of the water. Eventually, he married his Boss' daughter, took over the company, and had children of his own. Unfortunately, with the climbing costs of health care, he was unable to keep up with the payments for his children's therapy. Unable to halt the monster he created, and in many ways unwilling to (profit margins had never been greater,) he threw himself off a cliff.
His children inherited the company, and learned of their father's great scheme. They continued it, though not because they had any desire for money. The life insurance left them each independently wealthy. They were just bitter and wanted others to suffer as well.
It was all part of the plan.