The Valentine’s holiday is upon us, and we will cherish it more than ever this year.

Your Valentine might be your wife, husband, or partner — or she or he can be your parent, your kid, your grandparent or your grandchild, a cherished friend or a caregiver who’s made a difference in your life. The common denominator is love, and that’s the spirit with which we approach this fun day. The possibilities are as limitless as love itself.

Who do you think about on Valentine’s Day, and how will you express your love? This holiday is a chance to remember the people in our lives, to reach out to them, and to let them know what they mean to us. You have the power to impact how someone feels! Pick up the phone, send a text and share how much you are thinking of your loved ones this Valentine’s week.

Many of us have been doing that all year long. We may have to be physically separate due to the pandemic, but we have grown emotionally closer thanks to technology and virtual connections. So many have rekindled old friendships or reached out to family they haven’t talked to in a long time. There have been regular Zoom sessions with pals, online book groups and long phone calls.

Share the (virtual) hugs

Last month, we launched the Virtual Hug Challenge to encourage people to give a hug shout-out to the people they care about. We’ve heard so many great stories of connection that have come out of that, we’ve built a page on our website to share them. Take a look and join the celebration!

Jim thought about the hugs campaign when he saw one of his six grandchildren recently. His granddaughter, “Winkle,” who is six years old, wanted to see Jim’s cell phone so she could check if its back still had a sticker she had given him. The sticker had started to fade with time, and Jim got a new phone, so “Winkle” made sure to send Jim a new sticker.

In a way, that sticker is a kind of hug — a chance to say, “I love you.” Jim kept the sticker, their special little point of connection.

#NoLimitsOnLove: Join us in celebrating love and the power of connection

The wide breadth of love in our lives is the spirit behind our #NoLimitsOnLove campaign. NoLimits is our way of celebrating some of the unique love stories out there and all the ways people connect today. During hard times — perhaps especially in hard times — love is what gets us through. It’s behind everything good and important in our lives, and this Valentine’s holiday is a chance to celebrate and honor it.

With that in mind, we’re planning a special Valentine’s virtual event on Facebook Live, Putting Love on The Table, on Feb. 11 at 4 p.m. EST. Here is a sneak peek of one of the couples, Ryan Shazier (retired 2x Pro Bowl NFL linebacker) and his wife, Michelle Shazier. We will warn you, get the tissues out:

Michelle and Ryan

Ryan and Michelle will be joined by another couple, Jamie Otis and Doug Hehner, TV personalities from Married at First Sight. Together with host Francesco Bilotto, they will have a conversation about the early parts of their partnerships and share tips on everything from the foundations of a strong relationship to the biggest challenges they’ve experienced while keeping love strong. The idea is to inspire others to reflect on their own relationships as we head into Valentine’s Day. The more each of us focuses on love, the better off we all are. We hope to see you there.

Reminding you to use your power to influence how the people around you feel.

Enjoy the Super Bowl,

Chris & Jim

Written by our Founder and CEO, our Celebrations Pulse Sunday Letters aim to engage with our community. From sharing stories to welcoming your ideas, we want to help you to express, connect, and celebrate the important people in your life.

Author

Jim McCann is the founder, CEO, and chairman of 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc. as well as a business leader, author, and philanthropist with a passion for helping people deliver smiles. Devoted to helping others, he also founded Smile Farms, a 501(c)3 organization that provides meaningful jobs in agricultural settings to young adults and adults with developmental disabilities.

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