In great britain Valentine's Day began to be popularly celebrated around the seventeenth century. By the middle of the eighteenth century, it was common for fried and lovers in all social classes to exchange small tokens of affection or handwritten notes. By the end of the century, printed cards began to replace written letters due to improvements in printing technology. Ready-made cards were an easy was for people to expression their emotion in a time when direct of one's feelings was discouraged.