Why I Hate Valentine's Day

Now that Valentine’s Day is over, I wonder why everyone finds participating in a made-up holiday to celebrate love so appealing?  Is it because we are so deficient at showing the ones we love how much we care on the other 364 days of the year that we need a specific day to force us to do something nice?  Or are we so easily manipulated that we feel we must join in the V-Day hysteria or our loved ones will think we don’t care?  And who really benefits?  Certainly not those who aren’t in a relationship.  For them, it can be the most depressing day ever.  Not  one’s bank account or diets.  Nothing says “I love you” like an over-priced, four-pound box of chocolates in a heart-shaped box.  

Sure, that warm, fuzzy feeling one gets from a well-chosen gift can be wonderful.  But the real winners are the people who rake in our bucks selling jewelry, candy, cards, roses and fancy meals out.  They want to convince us that the gifts are a reflection of how much we cherish or are cherished.  Which forces people to buy said gifts so their loved ones won’t think they aren’t adored.  Just because someone gives you something nice on Valentine’s Day doesn’t necessarily mean they love you.  It just means they are easily swayed by mass marketing. 

Rather than buy into (pun intended) the manufactured hype, wouldn’t it make more sense to try to show your love all the time?  Rub their tired feet, offer to do some chore they despise.  Indulge in that freaky sex fantasy your love is always hinting at.  Look adoringly into their eyes and say, “I adore you,” and leave out the “but if you don’t remember to pick up your socks, I’m going to smother you in your sleep.”

See, it’s not so hard.  Let’s try and do something nice for those we care about every day and make fabricated love days a thing of the past.