By Janet Hommel Mangas
My husband and I were discussing how a gallon of milk was delivered by the milkman into silver galvanized milk-boxes when we were growing up.
I remember both the gallon glass bottles with sturdy plastic handle near the mouth. But I also recalled the hard carton gallon size, mainly because my grandma reused the cartons by rinsing them out, filling it with water and freezing it to make large chunks of ice for her two-gallon iced tea Tupperware jug/canister. Fresh iced tea on the farmhouse kitchen counter was always ready to be ladled into a glass or Tupperware- type plastic tumbler in the late 1960s and early ’70s — with that big block of ice floating in it.
There was a reason for this conversation — Valentine’s Day is approaching, and I distinctly remember making class Valentine’s mailboxes out of the gallon-size milk cartons. I don’t know if we painted them or covered them with Elmer’s glue and colored construction paper — but I am 90 percent sure this was a thing. I know we decorated cardboard shoeboxes a few years, but the milk cartons were great in that one could cut a slot on the slanted top and actually drop the Valentine’s cards in — duplicating the action of placing an actual letter in a postal box.
My husband, who lived in Connersville in third grade, only remembers using large buff-colored manilla envelopes — decorated with crayons — as an individual mailbox for each classmate. Poor guy.
I asked him if he ever remembered a favorite Valentine in elementary school:
“It was a plus if it wasn’t a girly-type of Valentine. And additional plus if you got one heart-shaped candy attached to the Valentine.”
The Hubby explained: “People got one box of Valentine candy and you put one candy heart on each valentine — one word for each classmate.“ And no one did flowers back then — except maybe on television.”
I responded, “How would you know, you were only in third grade?”
(For full disclosure, the Hubby has sent Valentine flowers to our daughters every year since they were in pre-school — in addition to me and his mom.)
But Valentine’s Day today, though more commercialized, sends the same message — a time to express love to one another. A day that legend tells us honors St. Valentine, a Roman martyr who lived in the third century.
A Valentine’s Day suggestion from a mother who has lived through over five decades of Valentine’s Days. If you have elementary-aged children (especially more than one) run out this morning immediately and grab the “Happy Valentine’s Day” cards.
Do not even finish reading this paper yet! Do not pass go. Get the cards and have your kids write their classmates names on them, attach the suckers and let them finish this fun task today. There is nothing worse than homework and preparing for Valentine’s Day on Monday night. I promise you’ll feel more like St. Valentine if you don’t feel pressured.
Janet Hommel Mangas grew up on the east side of Greenwood. The Center Grove area resident and her husband are the parents of three daughters. Send comments to [email protected].
