While We're On The Subject
I am not a fan of Valentine's Day. I don't care about chocolate. My heart won't break if I don't get flowers. I won't be depressed if I don't get a card. Now, I know I'm not the most sentimental person on the planet (I can hear my husband bellowing "UNDERSTATEMENT!!"). I realize that when God was hooking up that wire He became majorly distracted and missed it--oops! I'm aware of that. But even so, surely I'm not the only female on the planet who would probably forget the existence of Valentine's Day altogether if it weren't an actual impossibility to forget it, given the advertising, the merchandise, etc., that greets the eye upon entering any store? Surely there are others out there like me?
I understand that some women really like the holiday and for a lot of guys it's a way to build up some major boyfriend/husband points. I understand that some guys aren't very romantic or given to gift-giving at other points during the year (other than the obvious: birthdays, Christmas), so Valentine's Day is an opportunity to
It's just, I suppose, that I'm spoiled. I have a great husband who does sweet things throughout the year. He's always complimenting me. He hears me when I mention something I like and several days later, there it'll be---lying by my pillow or sitting in the living room. He's very affectionate (much more than I am, though I try to work on that). He likes to plan getaways for just the two of us. So....I'm spoiled. I get Valentine's Day year-round, I guess. I know I'll be getting something, so it's easy for me to be cynical! So--hey!-- I don't want to bash the day. I know there are people who love the opportunity to be romantic. But I know there are many who groan, "Oh no, Valentine's Day!"
Which one are you?
posted by jay are at 12:04 AM
14 Comments:
i'm not crazy about it, and it bothers me a bit, but i don't hate the day.
i just think that everyone should take the time to show their love on a regular basis.
that being said, i AM making the pants a chocolate truffle cake tomorrow...
12:41 AM, February 14, 2007
heh...a perfect excuse for chocolate!
12:49 AM, February 14, 2007
Valentine's day is great! I am a single almost middle aged lady, so it's not a romantic holiday for me, but here are the reasons I like the day:
I get mail!! I've built a cardsending network of friends and family, and we start a few weeks before, collecting and making cards.
It's a day of expressing affection and appreciation for important people in my life.
Memories. I always loved to cut and paste in school. Remember making Valentine boxes and cards with all that lovely red and pink. Oh yes, and paper doilies and stickers and...
Here in the upper Midwest, winter has been in session for a while , and we're not at the end of the road yet. So, it's a "warm" break and we like a chance to be distracted. (Minus 19 degrees this a.m., might as well eat chocolate!)
There's an old poem that says "It's a quaint, old fashioned custom, Valentine's Day..." Guess that's probably why I like it.
So, Happy Valentine's Day to you, Jay Are! Your blog is helping to keep me entertained this winter, I enjoy your articulate style.
7:53 AM, February 14, 2007
thank you, anon, and you gave some great reasons to enjoy V day!! Thanks for sharing and thanks for reading :)
10:24 AM, February 14, 2007
I'm not a huge Valentines fan either. Love is not some marketing guy telling my husband to buy a card and flowers.
Love is when my husband does the grocery shopping and takes the kids because he says I deserve a break. And THEN he comes home with flowers "just because".
We both got lucky, Jay Are. It's Valentines Day every day for me, too. I'll take that any day over a once a year deal.
2:35 PM, February 14, 2007
Check out the Anti-Valentine movement at :
http://www.meish.org/vd/
Hilarious!
2:46 PM, February 14, 2007
Jay are, sorry about the following long comment. I wrote this a couple of years ago and posted it on my blog but I think it exemplifies the differences in attitudes concerning Valentines Day. In other words my wife is somewhat different than you when it comes to V day.
When my wife read this she thought it was pretty funny and had me print it out so she could show her friends and the people at her office. So I know I won’t’ be in the dog house by posting it. Because my wife can laugh at herself and I can laugh at my self makes it easier for us to be each others Valentine.
By the way nothing has changed from a couple of years ago.
Well here it comes, Valentines Day
I have never met a married guy that looks forward to this day.
Some wives might say to their husbands “Oh honey don’t worry about getting me anything for Valentines day just being with you is enough for me”
For some wives this translates to: "You better get something even if it’s only one lousy red rose or you are dead meat."
I am very lucky. I am married to an honest woman. She says to me “honey you better get me something for Valentines Day or you are dead meat” After all a man wants to know where he stands with his woman.
Every year is the same and I’m sure this year won’t be any different. It goes something like this:
I always wait until the very last minute for this joyous occasion. This means on the way home from work at 6:00 PM on the 14th of February. I don’t know why I do this, maybe it’s my way of protesting the whole thing. As I am driving to the local Hallmark store I am plotting my strategy. OK I will get a card and then hop over to the store across the street to buy her that thing she likes. Bing Bang then I’m home sweet home. (Of course deep down I know it will never go that smooth)
As I enter the store I see that the Hallmark store is in a frenzy with my last second card buying fraternity brothers bumping into each other in a three square foot card section area that says “FOR WIFE”.
Before I entered the store I was thinking that I might get her a humorous card but not really that silly just something simple to show my love to her with a little sense of humor to it. As I survey the situation I downsize my ambitions to a card that says wife and love somewhere on it and it is in English.
As I look through the few remaining cards I am reading phrases like
.
“Baby, I Love you so much, I can just lose control”
(As you get older like me this might not be such a good thing)
Here is an original one: “You are my soul mate forever”
One year I remember reading something like: “You have peeled away the calloused layers of emotion, which I have built up over the years”
Here is one of my favorites: “Your love has set me free” (No comment)
How about this one: “Our many years together speaks for itself” (I’m thinking to myself then why am I buying this stupid card)
I really love my wife a lot but I can never really relate to these cards. Does a married person actually write these things? It’s now almost 7:00 PM so I settle for a card I don’t like but at least I don’t hate. Now I have to run across the street to pick up that gift she probably won't like.
I arrive home and of course my wife is on to me by now. “Why are you so late?”
Translation: I know you waited till an hour ago to buy something for me.
I’m thinking hey at least I’m not in the dead meat category.
There actually is one day I do look forward to every year and that’s, February 15.
3:16 PM, February 14, 2007
blogball, that was great, and exactly what bugs me about the day. The thought of my husband going through that whole process turns me off. When I say, "Don't feel like you have to get me anything," that translates into: "You're sweet and I know you want to do the right thing but please don't feel like the right thing requires you to spend money on something you don't even like, that has no meaning to you and thus likely won't to me. And mostly it does nothing for me when you feel obligated to buy something because it's what's "done"." So....like I mentioned, I get the little thoughtful gestures off and on when I'm not expecting them and that's way more fun than: "It's Valentine's Day. Treats time!" I know that I'm more fortunate than some, and so I'm glad there's an occasion that brings the opportunity and possibility of getting thoughtful gestures (but, again, how thoughtful is the 11th hour run!!). On the flip side of it (cuz it's not just about the girl after all), I'm never quite sure how much I should do either. My husband is a little more sentimental than I am (heh), so does he REALLY mean it when he says he doesn't need me to do anything?? I see the dilemma that men have. Sigh. February 15 is a lovely day indeed. :) Have fun!
3:44 PM, February 14, 2007
Somewhere in the middle is where I find myself, but at the very least I like to do different things. More often than not it is a self written note to her about how I feel about her and not the 'V' day thing. Something different this year - bought her a box of candy - her statement was "You haven't done that in a long time". Of course I do get to eat the ones she doesn't like. :) ec
7:19 PM, February 14, 2007
Valentine's Day every day of the year is, to me, much preferable to on obligatory day a year.
8:07 PM, February 14, 2007
Middle of the road here. I do usually make a big fancy dinner, gourmet if I can pull it off. We stopped going out to dinner for V-day when we both got food poisoning. We don't do gifts really, just cards. This year, mine to him was home made. Red lipstick kisses on a notecard with my own sentiments. He opened it and said that it meant more to him than any other card I'd gotten him. *Swoon* So we acknowledge V-day, but we don't freak out and stress.
8:35 PM, February 14, 2007
I'm sitting on the fence on this one, too. It's a silly thing to do the "have to get something that says I love you more than the air I breathe" and yet it's fun to have something to celebrate. mostly I just like celebrating things. But I could not care less if someone took it off the calendar. And I really don't care if I get anything, although I usually do.
9:26 PM, February 15, 2007
Its all a money spinner. Roses that are normally $20 get jacked up to $50!! Your hubby sounds fabulous :o)
10:08 PM, February 15, 2007
Um, when you're in my line of work, it's sort of a non-day. But this year I sent little Valentines, the kind you exchange in school, with candy hearts in the envelopes, to a bunch of the little kids that I know and love. That was a good way to celebrate it, I think. And I ate dark chocolate Kiss truffles. :-)
8:50 PM, February 17, 2007
Post a Comment
<< Home