Ugh. Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day is just around the corner.
No kidding!
I was at the pharmacy the day after Christmas and half an aisle was already loaded with heart shaped candy boxes. Can’t a girl ease down from a holiday without being slapped with another one right away?
I know V Day is something usually people that aren’t married or in a relationship dread, but its complicated for married people too. My parents started the tradition of “not doing anything for Valentine’s Day.” Then they would give all the kids chocolate candy “just because.” Maybe all the marketing machines took their example and expanded the day from your sweetheart to “everyone you sort of know,” with all of the “To My Sister,” and “To the Two of You on Valentine’s Day” cards that are out.
This year, there is no way I am going to send people anything after just having stood in line forever at Christmas time.
I did find out that CouponChief has some better alternatives online for people who want to stretch their dollar and have someone else do the sending. It has been a challenging year for us, so we may not be able to do every holiday like we used to this year, but there were some creative ideas there to try something new and fun.
Nothing says “I Love You, but you never finished the deck,” like a sander from Sears. You get a free one if you spend $75.00 on tools. Maybe it would make someone break up with you if you gave them a 3D Craftsman Sander for Valentine’s Day, but you don’t know my family. Everyone of them besides my sister would be thrilled.
My sister would get a bigger kick out of getting a gift for her dogs. Maybe some new toys that her lab can rip apart. I am not sure what the rabbit wants this year in the way of non edible items. Timothy hay doesn’t exactly scream “special occasion.”
Funny that there is a gift basket company called “Just Because,” that there is also a coupon for. Maybe I will send that to my parents and make sure they get it a few days before and write that its “not for Valentine’s Day, but “just because.” I should send it a week ahead of time just to confuse them.
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January 20th, 2008 at 2:21 pm
Ugh is right! Forced Love Day aka V Day is one of my least favorite holidays – the colors red and pink together, the taste of those yucky candy hearts, all the fake chocolate, inflated prices. I swear it makes even red roses look bad.
January 20th, 2008 at 10:05 pm
That’s a good idea to do for your parents!
Yes, VDay is not a holiday I would like to celebrate, in or out of a relationship. I don’t need consumerism to tell me when to celebrate my relationship; it should be appreciated and celebrated everyday, not just one day out of the year.
January 20th, 2008 at 10:46 pm
TBK – I agree. There are some pretty nasty tasting candies out there. I won’t mention any brands of chocolate – but they know who they are! Candy hearts though are something I can eat one of for nostalgia purposes and I am eight years old again for a few seconds. Woohoo.
..And then I remember why I don’t eat them all year long. However, I remember back then I ate less veggies and more smarties/sweetarts/candy necklaces, so my palate was a bit different I suppose.
Maria, you are so right. Treating everyone well and celebrating relationships should be an every day thing in small ways. But sometimes Valentine’s Day gives people an excuse to do something extra special that they have been thinking about but could never decide when.
I had an ex-boyfriend who believed in that very thing in philosophy – appreciate everyday. Just to prove his point though that V Day was nothing special – he decided that he would go out of his way NOT to see me the whole Valentine’s day, weekend, or the days surrounding, rather than just going through the normal weekly pattern of seeing eachother or crossing paths and just not making a big deal of V Day. Like he was making some example to the world.