My Take On Valentine's Day...

Usually, when you ask someone whether or not they like Valentine's Day, you get one of two answers: An eager, overly excited YES!!! or and eye rolling no. People either can't wait to enjoy the love and romance surrounding the day or would rather act like it's not happening at all and get on with their lives. I've heard so many times about how it's a holiday, invented by Hallmark, that has been overly glamorized to boost sales for Godiva and 1-800-Flowers, and maybe it is. I choose to view in another light, however. 

First of all, I think we can all agree that we need some kind of excuse to celebrate something in the dead of winter, once Christmas is long gone. January is one of those months where, unless you have a birthday, it tends to drag on and on. February would feel the same way without a little holiday of some sort. Of course, if we made Mardi Gras a national holiday with parades and beads in every town, that would be even better, but since no one's thought of that yet, Valentine's Day it is! 

Another good thing about V-Day is that it forces couples to cease their complacent ways for a day and do something nice or romantic for one another. Some couples have that magical ability to keep the spark ignited and remain fully in tune with one another, despite work, kids, and the various obstacles and obligations life throws at them. For others, date nights become a long lost tradition, flowers mean "Oh crap, I screwed up!", and putting on pajama pants makes way more sense than trying to glam it up for the same person you see every single day. Valentine's Day is a chance to slow down and remember all of the things you love about the person you're with. Even the smallest gesture can mean so much and just the effort someone puts forth to show that you are worth celebrating can truly make the day special.

Something I do every year is wish my parents and grandparents a Happy Valentines Day and tell them that I love them. I've sent my parents a care package and they usually send a card to me. I'll be honest-I've been lucky as far as having a Valentine goes. I've had one every year since I was 14-a gift, dinner, roses and all of that stuff has always fallen into place-except 3 years ago. The Boyfriend and I were living in separate cities and couldn't see each other. That night also happened to be the Chinese New Year (Year of the Tiger! Haha I still remember!), so my girl E and I went out and had Chinese food and celebrated. It was seriously one of the best V-Day's I've had because I was with someone I loved and there were no expectations, just two friends having a good time. It made me realize that February 14th isn't all about couples. It's an opportunity to recognize all of the people in your life that you love. 

Some of the main reasons I love Valentine's Day so much aren't even that deep: Pink is my favorite color, I enjoy fresh flowers, and I can buy heart decor for my home for 1/2 off the day after! As long as it doesn't say "Happy Valentine's Day" on it, you can use it year round! Also, Call me a nut, but for the past few years, I've gone out and bought myself a Valentine's gift. I know it's weird, but I think it's important to love and treat yourself. We put so many other people first in our lives, why not do a little something special for ourselves? A massage, that bag you've been wanting, or even just a nice bottle of wine can really lift your spirits!

So, for any anti-Valentine's folks out there, I challenge you to find something positive about the day this year. Sure, it's cheesy, but a little cheddar every now and then is a good thing! 

C