Day Forty-Five: The Famous (or Infamous) Valentine's Day

For as long as Valentine's has no longer been about buying paper Valentines for classmates and getting free candy and lots of hugs, I've not been a fan. There has never been anything fun to me about bedecking everything in sight in hearts, arrows, and naked babies in obnoxiously bright and cutesy colors that are usually also either fuzzy or shiny. I hate that Hallmark brings out their 2nd largest collection of overpriced cardboard greetings covered in glitter. But most of all, I hate that it's a holiday where it becomes mandatory, to most gentlemen, to buy their ladies roses, candy, or dinner, and on the other side of things, men are expected to receive a little lovin' in return. This is an absolutely disgusting concept.

I've always believed that if you're in love with someone, you don't need a designated greeting card holiday to celebrate it. Honestly, if I got flowers or candy or dinner on a night that isn't Valentine's Day, I'd be happier. At least, this is how I felt until last year.

Last year, I somewhat begrudgingly went with my boyfriend to dinner, which ended up being very, very nice. We picked a great place, had a wonderful dinner, and I got a box of Godiva chocolate. I felt...very special. And apparently, by the angry and jealous looks from every other woman in the restaurant, I was also very lucky. This year, although I'm still not extremely adamant about Valentine's Day, I am looking forward to it. However, if we had chosen to to celebrate, I wouldn't have been too upset. We're not getting each other gifts this year, mostly because we don't feel like going through the trouble and we don't really have the money. I would much rather spend a nice evening in than having to wrack my brain trying to come up with a good gift idea, and I'm sure my boyfriend feels the same way.

So I have waved my white flag of defeat in my battle against Valentine's Day, but it was a long battle waged. The problem, I sheepishly admit, is that no one had ever made me feel special on Valentine's Day. So although I claimed year after year that I did not dislike Valentine's Day because I was single, it probably did have something to do with my feelings towards it. I wasn't bitter about it because I was single, but no one had ever given me a reason to not be annoyed by it. And despite the fact that I no longer hate Valentine's Day, I still really do hate shiny hearts and cupids and those stupid little candy hearts with pointless messages that taste like chalk. But despite all that -- Happy Valentine's Day to those who celebrate it.