Firstly, Happy Valentine's Day! Who will be getting all lovely today then for Valentine's Day? Is it a flowers and hearts kind of day or more about doing something really extraordinary for each other?
We thought it might be nice to have a little moment and hear two sides of the romantic coin - although it turns out they might be quite similar after all!
I am currently single but no, that does not mean that I hate Valentine's Day, it just doesn't have much of a feature in my life. I don't buy or get anything on the day and it really just passes by without much thought. Of course apart from the fact that every shop I go into, I am reminded that it is near! It really doesn't help that my brother's birthday is close to the day either, as there is nothing more creepy than trying to find a card and present for your brother amid all the romantic stuff!
It's not a bitter thing, it's just the same as any other day for me. My friends usually get a text though, but I don't go out and have a Valentines hate night, or cry into a tub of ice-cream, cos you know what it really isn't that bad! Some single people might hate Valentines and feel sad about what they haven't got, but you know what, I have alot, I have my friends and family, my health, a job I love and to top it all I get to not feel bad about working all night on Valentines - yes really it will be that dull!
So all in all, I have always been a bit indifferent to Valentine's day with the feeling of forced romance and the over-the-top nature of it all and that's just not my view.
I was reading an article this week in Company magazine about a woman who feels that romance has been commercialised and not actually romantic anymore and she is in a relationship, so those kind of comments aren't just for the single! In fact my favourite bit is:
'Candles, roses, chocolates, petals; these things are nice. We all like a petal. But - romantico? Christ. Who invented this abysmal, predictable , sappy idea of romance? And how did we become the morons who buy into it?' Author: Afsaneh Knight.
Sammy was saying yesterday that being in a restaurant with lots of other couples fills her full of dread and I can totally relate to that. I cannot imagine wanting to spend my evening with all the other couples, surely something a little closer to home would be nicer, a real bit of being in each others company. Perhaps then Valentine's is for early stage couples as it could be that its the catalyst for those couples to show their true feelings for each other. Perhaps when you get to the later stages of a relationship, it should be more about doing those romantic things all the time, not just on the one day a year when everyone else tells you to be romantic?
Sammy...
So I am the Married one, so I should be counting down the days until Valentines... right? wrong. H is right, as I said yesterday, for me the thought of sitting in a restaurant with lots of other couples is the furthest thing from romantic. Shouldn't St Valentine's day be about sharing your love for others, not about how much money you can spend on romance?
I am not good at remembering anniversaries, it wasn't an accident that when I choose the date for our wedding I made it the same date {two years after} we got engaged, exactly three years to the day that we met, so that I wouldn't have to remember three different anniversaries! I am also lucky that Steve and I share the same birthday, one less date to forget. He always jokes that I said to him one year as he handed me my Valentines card, and I stood there empty handed, 'But why do you need a card to tell you... I love you this much everyday' {sorry for that vomit inducing story... I have a point} It is great to have a day set aside to celebrate 'love' in all its forms, but I agree with Afsaneh's quote above money spent does not not equate to LOVE given... or received.
My Steve always goes to a lot of effort to find me a card {note I say effort, not expense} and I always try and make him a card, and special Valentines dinner at home {shepherds pie with heart shaped mash potato topping} this years with the addition of the tray of goodies that you saw yesterday. I often share a Valentines text with my friends and family. I am not a hater of romance, or Valentines day, but it doesn't have to be a competition on who gets the most gifts or biggest bunch of flowers.
I am a big believer in giving your Love in time spent with your loved one, on the phone or Skype if your not together, tell them how much you love them, more importantly, tell them why you love them. It means so much more to hear it than to read it in a generic card. If you don't have a partner, phone a friend you haven't spoken to for a while, or a family member who lives far away. Valentines day is about Love. Share it around <3
Happy Valentines Day all!
H & Sammy
