PENINSULA – Red roses and boxed chocolates can be sweet. But what about a box of candies with sayings like, “URA QT,” or “Be Mine,” like those exchanged by kids? Or how about being serenaded while having lunch delivered to you?

All over the Peninsula, Valentine’s Day – the holiday that brings out the love in us all – was celebrated Friday.

Even among children, this holiday is held in high regard. At Ocean Park Elementary School, Valentine’s parties were held in the individual classes. In Amy Curry’s first grade class, it was a “friendship party.”

“For our class, of course, it’s not boyfriend/girlfriend,” said Curry. “It’s mostly friendship for first grade.”

The children swapped cards and candy, and some parents brought in some cookies and other treats for them to share after lunch.

With over 15 students in the class, each student received plenty of cards. About halfway through the party, Kelsey Douglas couldn’t decide which one was her favorite, but she said she was leaning towards one that came with a temporary tattoo of a heart. Giving and receiving the cards are special to the kids, as witnessed when Nicole Davey skipped across the room to hug her friend Christina Barratt, while one child proclaimed, “This is the best Valentine’s Day ever!”

Valentine’s Day is probably the second most important holiday during the school year – a close second behind Halloween – said Ocean Park Elementary Principal Bette Arne.

“The kids just really like exchanging cards with each other,” said Arne. “They spend a lot of time thinking about who they’re going to give which Valentine card to.”

Arne said that it is a tradition at the school to give time for each class to have a little party to celebrate the holiday. Many of the classes bring food items to snack on – to try and stay away from the abundance of candy.

But with the all the love and sentiment of the holiday, many forget – or never knew – why and how it is that Valentine’s Day came about.

The history of Valentine’s Day – and its patron saint – is shrouded in mystery.

Who was Saint Valentine and how did he get his own holiday? Today, the Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred.

One bittersweet legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When the emperor at the time, Claudius II, decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families,Claudius subsequently outlawed marriage for young men. Valentine, realizing the injustice of this decree, defied the law and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine’s actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death.

According to another legend, Valentine actually sent the first “Valentine” greeting himself.

While in prison for his deeds, it is believed that Valentine fell in love with a young girl – who may have been his jailer’s daughter – who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter, which he signed, “From your Valentine,” an expression that is still in use today.

Although the truth behind the Valentine legend is murky, the stories certainly emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic, and most importantly, romantic figure.

And romance is often expressed through song, many times sung to a loved one in person. Perhaps this was the idea Scott and Judy Kelly, proprietors of Kelly’s Deli in Long Beach, had when deciding to give a brief serenade to all those receiving a delivered meal on Valentine’s Day.

“We like to sing. We do a ton of deliveries, and it just felt like a good fit for Valentine’s Day,” said Scott Kelly. “Just a way to say thank you for the business.”

Their repertoire included the songs, “You Are My Sunshine,” “Love Me Tender,” and “Your Song.”

“We have this list of like 15 songs that we do,” said Kelly.

Singing deliveries is something they do just for Valentine’s Day, a tradition that they started last year.

And though most find the “special delivery” to be sweet, some were a little intimidated by the situation. Their first singing delivery on Friday was to some “fellas” at Oman and Sons lumber yard.

“They got all red faced,” said Kelly.

According to the Greeting Card Association, an estimated one billion Valentine cards are sent each year, making Valentine’s Day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year, only second to Christmas. In addition to the U.S., Valentine’s Day is celebrated in a big way in Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France and Australia.