The custom of celebrating Valentine’s Day spread to the Colonies and the Americans began to get seriously romantic as well! In the 1850s, Esther A. Howland, an American lady of Worcester, Massachusetts, hit upon the idea of producing traditional Valentine’s Day cards in bulk, laying the foundation for what would later become one of the biggest grosser for postal services around the world.

These readymade lace-embellished cards, with sentimental words printed on them, were a runaway success. People loved them – they were creative and attractive, and saved them all that time and effort. Buying a card for the one you loved was now firmly established in the psyche of people as the most natural thing to do on Valentine’s Day.

Today, it is hard to imagine a Valentine’s Day celebration without the mandatory card. Even if one is cash-strapped for a gift, a card always manages to convey the right sentiments!