February is a lovely month – perhaps it’s better to say a month in which we celebrate love – with Valentine’s Day on February 14. By happy timing it follows close behind another day to celebrate a different kind of love: Family Day, a B.C. holiday which this year falls on February 12. Each lovely day has different ways of expressing its own celebration.
Valentine’s Day is Big Business
The celebration of romantic love is big business. Statistics for Valentine’s Day spending in the USA in 2017 show the total economic value to that economy was $18.2-billion. That wasn’t even the all-time record high spending, which occurred in 2016 with $19.7-billion, but the trend appears to be upward. In 2015, it was $18.9-billion and in 2014 it was 17.4-billon. In case you are wondering how that breaks down into different kinds of Valentines expenditures, here are some statistics on the most popular types of gifts. Candy or chocolates account for about 50 per cent of gift choices and $1.7-billion spent by consumers last year. Greeting cards came in around 46 per cent but of course with a lower dollar amount totalling 1.0-billion. Going out for an evening of entertainment was the choice of 37 per cent for romantic celebrations with $3.8-billion spent. Close behind in popularity was the category of flowers with 37 per cent accounting for $2.0-billion; and finally, 19 per cent of romantics spent money of jewelry but with a whopping $4.3-bilion in expenditures.
For Canada, I found Statistics Canada figures that tracked similar categories of spending for all of 2015. Let’s assume these numbers are close to this year’s expenditures, and, keeping in mind that Canada’s population is much smaller than the USA, we’ve still got some serious romantic spending. For jewelry, it was $3.60-billion taking top spot. Next were perfumes and cosmetics at $2.89-billion. Canadian households spent an average of $225 on chocolates. Another source of statistics for Valentines spending in 2016 showed Canadian men spent more on gifts than women, with men averaging over $200.00 and women just over $100.00. One very interesting statistic I found was that just over 10 per cent of Canadians celebrate Valentine’s Day with their families. Which brings me to our other celebration this month, Family Day.
BC’s Family Day: An Economical Celebration
Unlike Valentines Day which has the same date each year, Family Day is set for the second Monday in February so the date changes. And of course, the history of Valentine’s Day goes back thousands of years, some scholars say to the second century AD. BC’s Family Day was established by an Act of the provincial Legislature and came into existence as an annual February holiday in 2013. I think it’s a wonderful holiday because my family is the most important part of my life and it gives us a day, along with other families, to enjoy doing something together. My wife and I can still exchange Valentine’s gifts and this is nice way keep the romance in our relationship, but when we are all together on Family Day, it let’s me know this is the happiest way to live.
One of the really nice things about Family Day is that you don’t have spend a lot of money on a big-ticket item to show your love. In Surrey, where we live, there are some great Family Day events this year that are absolutely free! Check out the Stewart Farm in South Surrey at 13723 Crescent Road where they will have free crafts, games and tours of the farm house. Or visit any of these Recreation Centres for free family friendly games late morning until early or mid-afternoon: Chuck Bailey Recreation Centre; Cloverdale Recreation Centre, Fleetwood Community Centre, Fraser Heights Recreation Centre, Guildford Recreation Centre and South Surrey Recreation Centre. There’s even free swimming at the South Surrey Indoor Pool from 1:30 to 3:00 pm on Family Day.
Whatever you happen to enjoy, living where we are to able to experience the joy of love in both our romantic relationships and with our families is worth a great fortune. I wish you much happiness for this time of year.
Thanks for reading!
Sibo Zhang, REALTOR®