What are you doing on St. Valentine’s day?
Did you find yourself wasting money on an expensive box of candy in order to show your love?
Do you find, like me, that Valentine’s is one of the more senseless holidays?
Personally, my husband lives in Switzerland (But he doesn’t know he’s my husband. Shhhh.), so I’m not doing anything at all (besides crying in loneliness, of course).
Absolutely! It is yet one more excuse that the ‘Evil Retail Machine’ has contrived to part me from my money.
Although, I do like the idea of taking a day to celebrate your love for your partner.
I don’t understand why people can’t let their partner know they love them every day of the year. We should not have to take one day out for it (which happens to be the day when candy prices soar and cards cost eight dollars each - I was at the store the other day looking at cards and almost had a heart attack that people would pay that much for a piece of paper).
I often find myself grumbling about the imposed sense of obligation that comes with holidays of this sort. The truth though, is that I’m really bad at all forms of scheduled remembrances, including sending birthday cards to family. So I don’t really know if my grumbling about the commerciality of it stems more righteousness or my lazy disorganized nature.
When it comes down to it, we don’t do much about V day around here.
My mother works in a small bakery and she has made 1,000 cupcakes and numerous numerous other cakes and candies and stuff. I just remember the figure of 1,000 cupcakes.
They’re nasty - full of nothing but sugar and white flour, but near Valentine’s Day people buy them like they’ve never seen cupcakes before.
Ugh. Most. Depressing. Day. Of. The. Year.
Nevermind that it was promoted (if not invented) by card and candy companies to increase profit margins between X-mas and Easter.
(This looks like a job for…one of our ever-cheery, lighthearted, optimistic Chiffers–Sunnywindo, Izz, Ad? Care to lighten this cranky thread?)
I’m slightly off of the whole thing myself. Sorry… even this ol’ optimist has her limits. 
Exactly. I hate Valentine’s day I am always optimistic about it but it always ends the same way.
Exactly. I hate Valentine’s day I am always optimistic about it but it always ends the same way.
Certainly, an everyday affirmation of our love for our partner is the best. But dedicating a single day to it allows somebody to plan something extra special, like a nice home cooked meal or an evening of discussion or playing a game of ‘whatever’ that a lot of our busy and invoved lives make pretty difficult ting to do on a day to day basis.
I only eat homecooked meals.
Restaurants (and fast food ones in particular) are cruel and evil.
amar! Get to the stove, pronto (but no beer or meat)! 
well, as a Catholic, St. Valentine’s Day has a far different meaning than the hearts and love aspect for me. Yes, we do buy chocolates for the kids, but we maliciously wait until it’s all half off at the store, and buy it then. I get a bit of satisfaction doing it this way because I feel that I’m almost putting one over on the whole industry. 
But really, with all the commercialism it’s very difficult to see a positive side to the whole thing. If I can find a good history, I’ll post it later.
Sorry I wasn’t more helpful, em
Some fun from
http://www.pictureframes.co.uk/pages/saint_valentine.htm
Some people used to believe that if a woman saw a robin flying overhead on Valentine’s Day, it meant she would marry a sailor. If she saw a sparrow, she would marry a poor man and be very happy. If she saw a goldfinch, she would marry a millionaire.
Think of five or six names of boys or girls you might marry, As you twist the stem of an apple, recite the names until the stem comes off. You will marry the person whose name you were saying when the stem fell off.
In the Middle Ages, young men and women drew names from a bowl to see who their valentines would be. They would wear these names on their sleeves for one week. To wear your heart on your sleeve now means that it is easy for other people to know how you are feeling.
In Wales wooden love spoons were carved and given as gifts on February 14th. Hearts, keys and keyholes were favourite decorations on the spoons. The decoration meant, “You unlock my heart!”
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History seems unclear:
from
http://www.historychannel.com/exhibits/valentine/?page=history
One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men – his crop of potential soldiers. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine’s actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death.
Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons where they were often beaten and tortured.
According to one legend, Valentine actually sent the first ‘valentine’ greeting himself. While in prison, it is believed that Valentine fell in love with a young girl – who may have been his jailor’s daughter – who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter, which he signed ‘From your Valentine,’ an expression that is still in use today. Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the stories certainly emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic, and, most importantly, romantic figure. It’s no surprise that by the Middle Ages, Valentine was one of the most popular saints in England and France.
I don’t remember ever doing much for Valentines Day, though I probably have some years. I do recall being about 8 years old and required to do the little classroom valentine things for everyone in the class (we couldn’t leave anyone out, it might have hurt their self esteem!), and meticulously choosing the worst ones for the people I didn’t like very much.
My grandmother likes to send me things at Valentine’s Day, often some chocolate and a toy. When I was about 12 she mailed me a huge inflatable heart that had “I LOVE YOU” written on it. It was about three feet across when inflated. I have no idea where she got that thing.
I think V-day is generally not a good idea these days. It’s all psychology now - people are made to feel like they are missing something if they are not ‘in a relationship’, and those who ARE in a relationship probably feel stressed about doing what their partner ‘expects’ of them on the day.
I do like to go shopping for discounted chocolates the week after, though. I was always too cheap to buy the good stuff even on sale - you know, the stuff that comes with a map so you know what you’re about to bite into and its general degree of nastiness.
One would really better off listening to the CD. but in the meantime…
Do you love me, or are you just extending goodwill?
Do you need me half as bad as you say, or are you just feeling guilt?
I’ve been burned before and I know the score
So you won’t hear me complain.
Will I be able to count on you
Or is your love in vain?
Are you so fast that you cannot see that I must have solitude?
When I am in the darkness, why do you intrude?
Do you know my world, do you know my kind
Or must I explain?
Will you let me be myself
Or is your love in vain?
Well I’ve been to the mountain and I’ve been in the wind,
I’ve been in and out of happiness.
I have dined with kings, I’ve been offered wings
And I’ve never been too impressed.
All right, I’ll take a chance, I will fall in love with you
If I’m a fool you can have the night, you can have the morning too.
Can you cook and sew, make flowers grow,
Do you understand my pain?
Are you willing to risk it all
Or is your love in vain?
Bob Dylan.
Slan,
D.
I love his lyrics, but I find that I like Bob Dylan’s songs best when other people sing them.
Sinéad O’Connor has a pretty version of I Belive In You, and Joan Osborne did Man In The Long Black Coat…I think that’s the name of it. I love them both.
Now, of course, a case of what I did on Valentine’s Day. I got older. Turning 50 turned out to be not as bad as I’d thought. I had the day of work so Anthea and I were able to potter about to our hearts’ content, nothing that ‘had’ to be done, just taking our own time (we don’t get the chance to do that together often enough).
I did remember to raise a glass and wish Missy a happy birthday too. 
Birthdays aren’t so bad after all. I might even have another one next year. 
Happy birthday to John and Missy (a day late!) YAY!!! I love birthdays. Mine’s next month, YAY!!!
::goes off singing happy birthday dear John and Missy…happy birthday to YOOOOOOOUUUUUUUU!!!::
I couldn’t agree more. Instead of a big dinner and $60.00 flowers once a year, how about kindness and consideration every day.
happy birthday to the Valentines babies!!! (I’m a day late. Sick yesterday)