Jewellery and spiritual gifts with meaning to wish good luck, protection, safekeeping, success and well-being

Is it possible to have Christian Valentine’s Gifts, that is, Valentines Day gifts – for a Christian?

We think so, and in our SHOP we have a few VALENTINE’S DAY GIFTS of jewellery combining themes of both Love and Christianity – in particular, Crosses with Hearts, but also Love-Lock-Key jewellery, Friendship jewellery, etc. as well as the ‘Love’ or ‘Romance’ gemstones of Garnet, Rose Quartz, Jade and Moonstone combined with a Christian symbol. Any of these can given as a Valentine’s present that has Christian overtones or significance.

But don’t some Christians believe that Valentines Day is a ‘pagan’ festival?

It is true that, whilst the origin of Valentine’s Day has ‘connections’ to Christianity, there are those that say that it actually originated in the Roman festival of Lupercalia. This was a fertility festival around February that honoured the Roman gods of Juno (goddess of marriage and women), Pan (god of nature), as well as Faunus, Romulus, and Remus. Others say that Valentine was a holy priest in Rome in the days of Emperor Claudius II, who was executed for preaching the love of God.

But the essence of Christianity is said to be Love and the doctrine of Saint Valentine was to embrace love, to show love and to preach love. Hatred was to be discouraged. And for this reason alone (if any reason is actually needed), St Valentine’s Day can be celebrated as a time to show our love (usually for someone in a romantic way) or even rekindle it.

So, despite the fact that a few Christians think that Saint Valentine is to be shunned, many, many more think that the expression of love is more important and, by combining love and Christian symbols in our jewellery, we are able to offer Valentine’s Day Gifts for Christians.

See some Christian VALENTINES DAY GIFT IDEAS in our SHOP

If you really appreciate someone who happens to be of the Christian faith, why not let them know – with one of our inspirational gifts for Valentine’s Day

Around this time of year we see that “love is in the air”, hearts are everywhere (mostly red – although heart-shaped boxes of chocolates are very popular), and flowers are ordered for those with more romantic Valentine’s Day gift ideas. People also have a bit of fun with their Valentines Day presents.

But many of these things, particularly flowers and chocolates, don’t last that long. So why not consider something a bit more persistent, enduring and lasting . . like Valentine Jewellery – meaningful jewellery for girlfriends, boyfriends, sweethearts, husbands, wives . . and friends.

But kind words are important too, and so we have made it possible for customers to add a personal message to each of our gifts, which we then print on one of our gift cards.

Gem Stones for luck in love?

Something else that might be of interest: We are the Good Luck Gift shop – so why not take a look in our store for a gift that might actually help you get lucky in love yourself! For example, some gemstones are said to actually attract love! In particular, Garnet, Rose Quartz and Jade are very popular. And it is also said that if you place a Moonstone under your pillow at night, you will dream of your loved-one!

A Christian prayer for Saint Valentine’s Day goes something like this:

“God bless you on this special day, God keep you in His care, and may His blessing and His love go with you everywhere”

And in the Bible (Corinthians), it mentions Faith, Hope and Love – saying that the greatest of these is Love. So let’s commemorate love on Saint Valentine Day and remember that, as the saying goes: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”

In popular culture, the heart signifies love: And we have quite a lot of HEART JEWELLERY in our Store

The heart is symbolic of our spiritual and emotional core because the heart is thought to be the seat of the human soul: A piece of heart jewellery depicts love, as well as commitment, passion and longing.

Another example of Saint Valentine’s jewellery isthe so-called lock and key jewellery, or the love lock necklace – whereby a lock and key is combined into a charm and used to signify a secured (and sometimes, secret) love connection: One half of the lock-and-key set is kept by each partner to maintain a feeling of connection – even when both partners are (or have to be) physically apart. Heart, lock and key jewellery is very powerful symbolically: Give a friend or loved-one a piece of lock and key jewellery, and it means you are gifting them a piece of your fidelity. In this way, you wish (and hopefully, will get) the key to their heart in return. Indeed, a key gifted to a loved-one is said to signify that you are actually holding the key to their heart.

And what about love jewellery in general? Do love charms actually work?

Love charms can be traced back to the ancient world of Egypt, Greece and Rome. Common Anglo Saxon love charms included rings, flowers (such as red roses, and lilies), a lock of hair – especially when braided into a circle and kept in locket; dove feathers . . and love jewellery.

Wearing a piece of love jewellery is said to make someone feel more desirable – at least in their own mind. Many women in Ancient Greece used love jewellery as well as spells as a form of therapy. Regardless of whether the spells actually worked, it made them feel more comfortable and it made them feel as if they had some control over their lives.

We hope that our Love Jewellery works in the same way, not only as the ideal gift, but also as something for yourself . . to perhaps help you to find true love with the special person or friend in your life. Our pieces of love jewellery worn in a noticeable manner, may well work in this respect. They are objects that represent a desired change or outcome, and the charm focuses the mind to help you get what you want.

We stock a great deal of Concha Shell jewellery too: The concha shell has a long association with love.

Indeed, the principal symbol of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, is the shell. Over thousands of years, gods and goddesses from different cultures have displayed concha shells as symbols of romance and love.

But whatever your beliefs, Saint Valentine is still the the patron saint of love and, every year on 14th February, people celebrate this day by sending gifts of love and affection to partners and friends.

Walking El Camino de Santiago in winter – and giving Camino gifts at Christmas

The gift of Christmas on the Camino? To many, Christmas and Camino are two separate entities: No one in their right mind would consider walking El Camino at Christmas, right? “Bueno” . . as they say in Spain, “nada es imposible”. No doubt, the most popular time of year to walk the Camino de Santiago is between Spring to Autumn. But winter walkers are on the up and increasingly we see people asking about walking El Camino at Christmas . . and even planning to arrive in Santiago de Compostela on Christmas Day (or Christmas Eve).

But Christmas also means gifts – for friends, family / loved-ones. And what better gift to give a fan of the Camino than a little present from Galicia, Santiago, Asturias . . or somewhere else along this famous route: Perhaps a little memento or souvenir relating to this epic journey / pilgrimage – or simply a “good luck and best wishes” type of present.

See our CAMINO de SANTIAGO gift shop online

A winter trip on Spain’s Camino over the Christmas period can be an exhilarating experience . . especially if you plan to arrive in Santiago de Compostela on Christmas Eve (or Christmas Day). But there are things to consider that are different from planning a normal Camino trip:

The weather in winter on El Camino:

This is the most important factor: Weather in Northern Spain, particularly in Galicia, is uncertain even in summer! The dreaded rain which can dampen the spirits of even the most ardent Camino traveller is quite common in Galicia and Asturias.

Having said that, travelling in winter can have its advantages in this respect too: Some of the landscapes can be spectacular in their winter shroud: The Meseta in particular can make for a stunning and enthralling backdrop at any time of year, but in winter it can be dramatic and breathtaking.

Winter weather on Camino — Cortesia Rodelar – La Meseta en invierno: Not for the faint-hearted walker!

The Meseta or Inner Plateau of Spain is the high plain of central Spain – it is large and expansive, flat and vast: It’s in the heart of the Iberian peninsular, and ranges from 610 to 760m in height and is surrounded by mountains. From the Camino point of view, the Meseta is always an “experience”. The Camino Frances traverses the northern part of the Meseta for over 200km, and in winter it can be windswept and cold, wet and miserable for walkers.

So this leads on to the next consideration:

The route – which Camino to choose (after all, there are several):

People considering travelling the famous Way of Saint James are aware of the different routes that make up the so-called “Camino”: They have to choose one to suit themselves, and through which parts of Spain, France and/or Portugal they want to walk, hike or bike into Santiago de Compostela. We have 7 or 8 main options: Camino Frances, Camino Portuguese, Camino del Norte, Camino Primitivo (the original or Primitive Way), Via de Plata (the Silver Way), Camino Finisterre-Muxía, Camino Inglés (the English Way), and Camino Invierno (the Winter Camino).

Camino Sanabres

Camino Primitivo

Camino Portugues

Camino Norte

Camino Mozarabe

Camino Invierno

Camino Ingles

Camino Frances

Camino Finisterra

Courtesy CORREOS (see below)

But which is going to be most suitable Camino to do in winter?

The Via de la Plata route travels through the western part of the Meseta for around 180km. In winter, it can be snowy. Yes . . snow! In winter you will encounter snow on many of the Camino routes and/or stages of those routes. Perhaps a small amount of snow is acceptable, but there can be danger too after heavy snow falls or when it drifts in the wind. At the very least, you will need to avoid any mountainous areas like the Pyrenees or O Cebreiro. In fact, for this reason alone, many of the ‘etápas’ (sections or stages) of the various Caminos are actually CLOSED in the winter. In fact, a great many things along the Camino route are closed in winter.

So this leads to another factor to consider:

Accommodation along the Camino de Santiago in winter

Spain’s Post Office ( CORREOS ) has a great website to help travellers along El Camino – offering advice on accommodation, safety and their own services to help transport extra luggage and backpacks which can be especially helpful in the somewhat rougher winter months.

They say that when the number of pilgrims fall in the winter months (and especially around Christmas), many hostels on the Camino decide to close their doors. And, as ‘Navidad’ in Spain is celebrated through until Los Reyes Magos (The Kings) on 6th January, the Christmas inactivity can be extensive. This might be a problem for those winter pilgrims who, not planning ahead or without prior knowledge, are not prepared, especially considering that they will be facing the cold, rain and, at many times, snow. Luckily, Correos keeps an updated list of hostels that remain open during this period. Of course, however prepared you are, it is always recommended to contact the hostels first, to avoid any problems. You can find the telephone numbers of each hostel at each stage of every Camino on the CORREOS WEBSITE . There is little problem finding accommodation in the bigger towns like Santiago de Compostela, Ferrol or Vigo, but in the small rural and isolated areas, where accommodation is limited, yes, it can be tricky.

So this brings us to:

The sheer feasibility of doing the Camino in winter as regards personal fitness, carrying your stuff and avoiding the mud!

It can be lonely and at times bleak in northern Spain in winter: In Bierzo, for example, it can be very harsh. But in general, winter walkers are not out to punish themselves . . and so during this time of year it is acceptable to get help along the way. For example, CORREOS offer a service to transfer your luggage / rucksack day by day at all times of year. This costs around 4 Euros per stage.

This has not always been the case: In years gone by, devout pilgrims would set out to travel the Camino as a form of penance or atonement. Some were even sent to do just that, as punishment for their sins. But these days, there are other ways to lessen the burden of a winter Camino – like occasionally catching a bus!!! (past the really bad bits), or getting Correos to transport some of your luggage from place to place at the start of each day. In general, their services continue as usual, except that in some cases they are limited in terms of geographical coverage or hours open to the public. Once again, the website has details.

They also offer a locker service in Santiago de Compostela (the ideal location to leave your backpack before visiting because of its proximity to the Cathedral). This remains open from Monday to Friday with the same hours as the rest of the year. The only change to this service is that Saturdays it will be open from 9:30 to 13:00, while closing on Sundays and holidays.

So, in conclusion . .

Which Camino de Santiago route is best in Winter?

The general consensus is that travelling from Sarria into Santiago de Compostela would be a good option. It is about 100km into the capital. You could walk a few of the sections before Sarria but you would have to avoid the most mountainous area around O Cebreiro. This is part of the Winter Way (or Camino de Invierno) from Ponferrada which used to be used in centuries past by those seeking to escape the ‘real’ world. It is also part of the French Way. You will probably experience a very quiet trip at this time of year – but with amazing landscapes, especially as you enter Galicia through the winter vineyards of the Ribeira Sacra. Alternatively, you could start a bit further south at Monforte de Lemos.

Christmas in Santiago Cathedral with the great botafumeiro, marked with the cross of St James

Either way, at Christmas time, this will be a special experience and you will be able to spot many wonderful Nativity scenes or Beléns in the villages, hostels and bars that you encounter.

Finally, we come to OUR part in this whole story:

Camino Christmas gifts

At this time of year we start to see enquiries and orders for Christmas Camino gifts. Although we cannot offer gifts of a trip on the Camino (or even gift tokens), we can certainly offer great suggestions for Camino Christmas presents.

See some Joyas del CAMINO de SANTIAGO JEWELLERY in our gift shop online

Every year we see what is popular, and we see some of the special messages people send to each other relating to their Caminos – or wishing them well on a future trip. Many people like to give Camino-related Christmas gifts to friends and loved-ones for a journey that they are planning in the forthcoming year: And the journey is not always related to El Camino de Santiago itself. We find people giving Camino gifts (particularly Camino Jewellery – Joyas del Camino) for loved-ones going on a Gap Year for example, a holiday trekking in the Far East, or even to someone going on a business trip. The fame of Spain’s Camino is worldwide and the related souvenirs have significance to travellers the world over . . especially to wish safe travels. In particular, jewellery that features the Cross of St James, la vieira concha Scallop Shell symbol, the Waymarker sign and the Tau Cross (all available in our shop online), are the most popular.

Clearly, no self-respecting Camino travellers (especially walkers and bikers) want to be burdened on their actual Camino de Santiago with anything large or heavy or difficult to carry, but we can offer small items (especially Camino jewellery like earrings, necklaces and bracelets) that are suitable. Failing that, we can also supply items that are meant as souvenirs or mementos of someone’s actual Camino trip / journey – a reminder perhaps of the journey they undertook. We also stock a range of other items that are suitable as Christmas presents for someone who is PLANNING to walk the Camino de Santiago in the future – in particular, gifts that have a “Safe Travels” theme, religious and Christian items that say “Have a good trip”, Good luck on your journey”, “Buen Camino” and so on, even if only in a symbolic way.

Travellers safety whistle gold — One of our travellers safety whistles – a loud whistle engraved with the Travellers Cross

These are Camino Christmas gifts with real meaning and many are actually hand-crafted by goldsmiths and silver-working artisans in Galicia and Asturias.