Happy Valentine's Day, faithful readers! I hope you are indulging your sweet tooth and surrounding yourself with thoughts of love and mushy romantic musings. Or perhaps you are more inclined to sit back and watch as those around you make a huge production over one of Hallmark's favorite holidays. I know my News Feed has been blowing up all day with Valentine's related posts, each one more endearing than the next. But I'm not here to complain, honestly. That just happens to offer a good transition into the heart of this post.
I think we can all agree that when it comes to Valentine's Day, people fall into one of two categories. They either embrace the holiday wholeheartedly or they boycott and do nothing but complain. There's nothing wrong with the overall premise of Valentine's Day, because really what could be wrong with telling someone how much you love them? But a lot of people tend to get sick and tired of having Valentine's Day shoved down their throat starting the day after Christmas. And that's where the resistance comes in. They don't want to feel like they HAVE to give in to the hearts and chocolates, or that they have to send roses and stuffed animals and spend a fortune on dinner at a crowded restaurant. No argument from this corner. Retail stores definitely put us through the ringer when it comes to holidays like this. I almost turned and ran when I walked into Safeway this weekend and saw hundreds upon hundreds of pink and red balloons wafting toward the ceiling. It was quite overwhelming.
Lately I have become more annoyed with the people who openly protest Valentine's Day to every person they know. Don't want to celebrate? No problem. But is it really necessary to go down the laundry list of reasons every time the subject comes up?
Dean and I fall into the category of minor celebrants. We don't go over the top or feel pressure to plan a big elaborate date night just because it's Valentine's Day, but we still find little ways to make the day special for us. If Valentine's Day is good for one thing, it's that at least it serves as some kind of reminder to show and express our love and appreciation for the people in our lives who mean the most. Because I'm sure there are plenty of us out there who don't always show that love and appreciation as much or as often as we should.
Valentine's Day is what it is. You can take it or you can leave it, you can celebrate or choose to boycott. But we should all try and look beyond the balloons, the chocolates, the stuffed animals, and realize that at its "heart", Valentine's Day is about realizing the people in our lives we love. So if nothing else, try and celebrate that. It's sure a lot better than complaining.
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