February is often painted in hearts and shades of red and pink, a month that invites us to celebrate love in all its forms. While Valentine’s Day on February 14th is traditionally the day for romantic gestures and sweethearts, the spirit of the season extends far beyond sappy cards, nasty candies, flowers, and gift-wrapped chocolates. February is not just about romantic love, it is a time to consider and recognize platonic love, family love, unconditional love, and even unrequited love. There’s the steadfast bond between friends, the nurturing care within families, the affection and dedication we share with pets, and even the compassion we can show strangers.

And still, Valentine’s Day is the perfect time to get creative with romantic partners. Writing a heartfelt letter or planning a simple dinner can be more meaningful than elaborate gifts.

Love Is Good For Business

If you own and run a business, show your employees some love by giving them a chance to save for retirement at work. With the state-sponsored program MarylandSaves, this kind of love, as J. Lo. might say, “don’t cost a thing” to employers. You can also show some community love by supporting a local business, sending a message of gratitude to teachers or healthcare workers, or donating to a cause you believe in. Community love is a powerful way to make the world a little brighter.

Love Inspires Art

Based on critical, historical, and popular acclaim, as well as significant, completely unscientific editorial license, here are 10 of music’s best songs with “Love” in the title:

1. “Whole Lotta Love” – Led Zeppelin

2. "Love Don’t Cost a Thing” – Jennifer Lopez

3. “What’s Love Got To Do With it” – Tina Turner

4. "The Greatest Love of All" – Whitney Houston

5. "Crazy in Love" – Beyoncé

6. “All you Need is Love” – The Beatles

7. “Tunnel of Love” – Bruce Springsteen

8. “Higher Love” – Steve Winwood

9. “I Love Music – The O’Jays

10. "Love Story" – Taylor Swift

11. “Love Is All Around – The Troggs

In literature, the greatest examples of romantic love showcase dramatic, often tragic themes of sacrifice, passion, and fate. These are the written word’s top 10 romantic couples, i.e. those you will find first revealed in books:

1. Romeo and Juliet (Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare)

2. Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy (Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen)

3. Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff (Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

4. Jane Eyre and Edward Rochester (Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë)

5. Scarlett O'Hara and Rhett Butler (Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell)

6. Anna Karenina and Count Vronsky (Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy)

7. Florentino Ariza and Fermina Daza (Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez)

8. Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan (The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald)

9. Noah Calhoun and Allie Nelson (The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks)

10. Yuri Zhivago and Lara Antipova (Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak)

If you are a movie lover, here are 10 of cinema's greatest examples of romantic love, encompassing both classic and modern eras, and even an animated film, which highlight intense, enduring, and often transformative relationships.

1. Casablanca (1942)

2. The Sound of Music (1965)

3. Gone with the Wind (1939)

4. An Affair to Remember (1957)

5. Love Story (1970)

6. The Way We Were (1973)

7. The Notebook (2004)

8. The Princess Bride (1987)

9. Beauty and the Beast (1991)

10. Titanic (1997)

If you want to show love to your employees, here is the comprehensive list of the Maryland state-sponsored payroll-deducted retirement savings programs that are free to employers and automatic for employees, and can earn employers a $300 waiver of their $300 SDAT annual report filing fee. These programs have been designed for small businesses and the people that make them great:

1. MarylandSaves

And with MarylandSaves, employee love is free and HR-approved. At MarylandSaves we would love to hear your thoughts on our top ten lists.