valentine's day -- don't be a hater.

as a new couple celebrating valentine's day, I had expectations of grand love displays and a romantic dinner and a card with bold proclamations of love. that's not what I got. at my apartment, I set up a display of chocolates and candles on heart-shaped plates, and a photo of me in a heart-shaped frame for my valentine. my efforts fell flat. 

it took about a year for me and mr. brooks to find our common love language. and while it kinda stung that my initial effort fell flat, I love where we are now. we do valentine's day our own way -- there's no jewelry involved and no fancy dinner by candlelight, and sometimes I buy my own flowers. we celebrate the holiday by spending time loving each other, eating something tasty, and reminiscing about our early days. for us, that's the perfect valentine's night.

images courtesy of 1, 2

of all the holidays celebrated in the united states, valentine's day gets hit the hardest. people love to bash it, hate on it, and toss it aside as if it's worse than tax day -- really guys, how can it be worse than tax day? (tax day's saving grace is celebrating one of my brother's; it's his birthday.) that makes me sad. 

sure, perhaps companies and retailers have preyed on the holiday and taken advantage of the believers and the love-sayers turning it into a drawn out ooey gooey love mess. and maybe the aisles decked out in red and the jewelry commercials on tv are annoying and seem to show up earlier every year, but if you're not into valentine's day, pay no mind and ignore it. carry on your way. don't make it miserable for the people who enjoy a day dedicated to love and find happiness in the chocolates and flowers and lingerie and dinners by candlelight. 

many folks say that love should be celebrated all year long, and not just one day of the year. I agree. but is there really so much harm in there being an additional day each year that is dedicated to love? why trash talk another opportunity to tell the ones you love how much they mean to you? maybe chocolates and flowers and lingerie aren't your love language. maybe candlelight dinners and jewelry don't mean love to you. that's fine. love comes in many languages and styles. when you find yours, latch on and don't let go. and if your love language is celebrating valentine's day and you love flirting with the chocolates and flowers and cards and jewelry, then enjoy it, and nevermind those that bash the beautiful love holiday.


yours truly,
kcb