You took the words outta my mouth. I have always loathed Valentine’s Day. When I was young there was no rule about everyone getting cards so the unpopular or weird kids didn’t get cards and were sad. Now it’s all about consumerism & crap people don’t need. People getting hurt if they don’t get stuff. Spending money you don’t have. I’d rather have my husband care and treat me good all year as he does then worry about one day.
Valentine's Day was just another reminder about how cr*p my marriage was for decades. Indifference from husband for most of the year. A card with insincere superlatives on Valentines Day. I choose everything badly, including husbands (two down, never again).
Romance is talking to each other, being interested in each other and what they do and say. Touching a hand, a conspiratorial smile, understanding without words. Caring when the other is hurting (if I got depressed, my husband would just ignore me for a few days). Laughing. Doing the boring chores as you are in this together and sharing all. Being there. Making up, saying sorry, it doesn't dominate. It is kindness. Not an insincere scribble.
It's a shame we can't make things meaningful anymore. Most things boil down to just a money-grab.
Valentine helped lovers who were not allowed to be together. Maybe it would be better to celebrate the day by showing our love and support to those who are in a similar situation now. There are many. Although life has become much better for many in this regard, much better than when I was young, it is still an uphill struggle amd we must continue to support and love and help where we can.
It would be great if Valentine's Day could be about showing love to those who need it, not adding to the coffers of those who don't. The persecuted, thise subjected to hate and violence for just being who they are. Those people need our love (and yes, all year, every day, but why not show it as a solidarity one day a year too)?
Give money to Nestle, who continue to help destroy our Earth? No thanks. That's the opposite of love. Rather show love to humankind by putting that money where it will help save our planet. Save the rainforest rather than let companies carry on cutting our life-giving trees down. Save the bees so the planet can be pollinated and carry on giving us its love. Valentine is also patron saint of bees. Knit a bee. Sponsor a bee. Sponser a tree-planting charity. Send tree and bee cards that support trees and bees! Give a packet of seeds.
I seem to be running on.
I'm very happy to see that some have found true love and work at it to make it true.
Um, we've always done chocolate and flowers on V-Day. Husband, who is a romantic cuss, started it with a single piece of foil-wrapped chocolate in a heart shape. That was over 40 years ago so I guess things worked out regardless. We also exchange cards (again, he started it) at other times of year, as well as surprise treats here and there and sometimes flowers. I am with you about the school expectations, though. Not only a pain for parents, but the potential for bullying is huge.
Big agree. Thankfully when my kids were at school we didn't have this, athough it is reminding me of the torture of writing 30 Christmas cards to the whole class (left-handed in the pretence that they had written them themselves. For several years. WHY DID I DO THAT??) But my student job was in a chocolate shop (great!) where we had to pipe names & messages in icing onto the chocolate gifts (not great!). Ruined Valentine's Day for ever (if being dumped by my first boyfriend (aged 11) on Valentine's Day hadn't done that already... Anyway, your heart is beautiful, and I love that Theo gets that too.
Love to go out to dinner...don't have to do dishes...but you can go out any night of the year! We sometimes go out to celebrate that the cleaners have been!
Husband and I (25 years in) decided early on that Valentine's is for courting couples. We have our anniversary as our "special treat day to spoil each other" (as opposed to all the other days which are "regular days to spoil each other"!) and the restaurants and florists don't artifically inflate their prices on that day!
I love how honest you are. I tell the people in my life love them every moment I can whether by words or actions or whatnot. It took me a long time but I learned in 2021 how fragile it all is and how we just need to let those in our life know how important they are every single day. I don’t need one day that is set aside to give people love words and tokens - it can be as simple as checking on a friend by text or buying my best friend her fave candy bar when I’m waiting in the grocery line.
I get this viewpoint. But I’m a sap, 27 years of marriage later, I still love Valentines Day. 😂And I miss the school class parties the kids did when young. We’ve never done anything big - just fun stuff. I used to write poems as part of a scavenger hunt for my, now 16 and 22 yo, kids. Hmm…I might do that again-it was so geeky and goofy. I love the knitted heart- impressive!
Agreed with all of this! I forgot it was today actually. Also it's always horribly busy when everyone tries to go out for dinner on the same night...even if I'm in the mood to go out, I'd much prefer to just pick a different day
I'm so with you on all of this ❤️ I knit the six-year-old a wee square the other day as a blanket for a stuffed animal, and he was as excited about that as he would have been over any big plastic toy that makes too much noise ❤️
I taught for 40 years (high school) and the worst day every single year was Valentines Day. The pressure to bring their gifts, flowers, stuffies, balloons to school so their gf/bf could walk around all day with their haul just made me crazy. Also many kids felt so sad having nothing. Agree 100 % with your rant and think is it a worthless made up holiday. I subscribed immediately after reading your post on it
I bought my parent’s a vanilla slice each for morning tea ‘for valentine’s day’. That’s about as far as I go these days 😆.
You’re absolutely right. If your relationship is reduced to ‘needing’ to show your love on this one day, and lining the pockets of big business at the same time, it doesn’t say much for the rest of the year.
You took the words outta my mouth. I have always loathed Valentine’s Day. When I was young there was no rule about everyone getting cards so the unpopular or weird kids didn’t get cards and were sad. Now it’s all about consumerism & crap people don’t need. People getting hurt if they don’t get stuff. Spending money you don’t have. I’d rather have my husband care and treat me good all year as he does then worry about one day.
This!
Valentine's Day was just another reminder about how cr*p my marriage was for decades. Indifference from husband for most of the year. A card with insincere superlatives on Valentines Day. I choose everything badly, including husbands (two down, never again).
Romance is talking to each other, being interested in each other and what they do and say. Touching a hand, a conspiratorial smile, understanding without words. Caring when the other is hurting (if I got depressed, my husband would just ignore me for a few days). Laughing. Doing the boring chores as you are in this together and sharing all. Being there. Making up, saying sorry, it doesn't dominate. It is kindness. Not an insincere scribble.
It's a shame we can't make things meaningful anymore. Most things boil down to just a money-grab.
Valentine helped lovers who were not allowed to be together. Maybe it would be better to celebrate the day by showing our love and support to those who are in a similar situation now. There are many. Although life has become much better for many in this regard, much better than when I was young, it is still an uphill struggle amd we must continue to support and love and help where we can.
It would be great if Valentine's Day could be about showing love to those who need it, not adding to the coffers of those who don't. The persecuted, thise subjected to hate and violence for just being who they are. Those people need our love (and yes, all year, every day, but why not show it as a solidarity one day a year too)?
Give money to Nestle, who continue to help destroy our Earth? No thanks. That's the opposite of love. Rather show love to humankind by putting that money where it will help save our planet. Save the rainforest rather than let companies carry on cutting our life-giving trees down. Save the bees so the planet can be pollinated and carry on giving us its love. Valentine is also patron saint of bees. Knit a bee. Sponsor a bee. Sponser a tree-planting charity. Send tree and bee cards that support trees and bees! Give a packet of seeds.
I seem to be running on.
I'm very happy to see that some have found true love and work at it to make it true.
Um, we've always done chocolate and flowers on V-Day. Husband, who is a romantic cuss, started it with a single piece of foil-wrapped chocolate in a heart shape. That was over 40 years ago so I guess things worked out regardless. We also exchange cards (again, he started it) at other times of year, as well as surprise treats here and there and sometimes flowers. I am with you about the school expectations, though. Not only a pain for parents, but the potential for bullying is huge.
Big agree. Thankfully when my kids were at school we didn't have this, athough it is reminding me of the torture of writing 30 Christmas cards to the whole class (left-handed in the pretence that they had written them themselves. For several years. WHY DID I DO THAT??) But my student job was in a chocolate shop (great!) where we had to pipe names & messages in icing onto the chocolate gifts (not great!). Ruined Valentine's Day for ever (if being dumped by my first boyfriend (aged 11) on Valentine's Day hadn't done that already... Anyway, your heart is beautiful, and I love that Theo gets that too.
I don't celebrate Valentine's Day with my partner either, because it's my birthday the next day anyway. (I almost became a Valentine's child 🤭)
Fun fact: my mom and dad met on Valentine's Day! The bar they met at was giving single ladies free champagne!
... they're divorced now, but it's still a funny story.
But you're 100% right, love is for every day! And uh.... we as a society could use that rn.... a bit...
For me it’s just an excuse to go out for a nice dinner! 😁
Love to go out to dinner...don't have to do dishes...but you can go out any night of the year! We sometimes go out to celebrate that the cleaners have been!
Husband and I (25 years in) decided early on that Valentine's is for courting couples. We have our anniversary as our "special treat day to spoil each other" (as opposed to all the other days which are "regular days to spoil each other"!) and the restaurants and florists don't artifically inflate their prices on that day!
Always down for a nice dinner too! 😁
I love how honest you are. I tell the people in my life love them every moment I can whether by words or actions or whatnot. It took me a long time but I learned in 2021 how fragile it all is and how we just need to let those in our life know how important they are every single day. I don’t need one day that is set aside to give people love words and tokens - it can be as simple as checking on a friend by text or buying my best friend her fave candy bar when I’m waiting in the grocery line.
I get this viewpoint. But I’m a sap, 27 years of marriage later, I still love Valentines Day. 😂And I miss the school class parties the kids did when young. We’ve never done anything big - just fun stuff. I used to write poems as part of a scavenger hunt for my, now 16 and 22 yo, kids. Hmm…I might do that again-it was so geeky and goofy. I love the knitted heart- impressive!
I whole heartedly agree, luckily I don’t have a partner to worry about 😂
As for school gifts, I lived in Saudi for a bit and it was a ridiculous game of look how rich my parents are, for gifts and parties. 😫
Yes yes yes! I detest how pressurised and coercive it feels.
Agreed with all of this! I forgot it was today actually. Also it's always horribly busy when everyone tries to go out for dinner on the same night...even if I'm in the mood to go out, I'd much prefer to just pick a different day
I'm so with you on all of this ❤️ I knit the six-year-old a wee square the other day as a blanket for a stuffed animal, and he was as excited about that as he would have been over any big plastic toy that makes too much noise ❤️
I taught for 40 years (high school) and the worst day every single year was Valentines Day. The pressure to bring their gifts, flowers, stuffies, balloons to school so their gf/bf could walk around all day with their haul just made me crazy. Also many kids felt so sad having nothing. Agree 100 % with your rant and think is it a worthless made up holiday. I subscribed immediately after reading your post on it
I saw! I so appreciate you subscribing ( and validating my rant). Ill be sending a message to the paid subs over the weekend!)
Just love you!
I bought my parent’s a vanilla slice each for morning tea ‘for valentine’s day’. That’s about as far as I go these days 😆.
You’re absolutely right. If your relationship is reduced to ‘needing’ to show your love on this one day, and lining the pockets of big business at the same time, it doesn’t say much for the rest of the year.