Valentine's Day is Overrated

Edit: This post was probably not worded as well as it could have been.  I intended it to sound like "We should love people all year, not just Valentine's Day."  Instead I feel like it came across more as "I hate Valentine's Day, such a dumb idea!"  Please know this was not what I meant!

I wrote a post here a while back about Thanksgiving.  This week, I've been having similar thoughts towards a very different holiday, so I figured I'd do a new one.

Most likely you think I'm going to shoot down the roses-and-chocolate Hallmark day because I'm a cynical single (very commonplace idea).  That's quite the wrong idea.  I love chocolate (very, very much) and any excuse to eat it.  Also, flowers are awesome.  I think we should have an entire separate holiday for giving anyone and everyone flowers.  The Hallmark card part... well, I'm really neither for nor against it.  You can decide for yourself to buy/make/give them or not.  I like cards, and I love giving them, but they don't hold a candle to the chocolate. ;)

Hmm, I think I forgot to mention another point... I am neither cynical nor single.  Generally I try to be a cheerful, positive, give-the-benefit-of-the-doubt person.  Also, I just went on a date to Red Lobster with the brown-eyed boy last week.  Definitely no cynical single here.

So why wouldn't I love Valentine's Day?  I mean, any person who's known me for a few weeks would probably guess it to be my favorite holiday.  A month ago I would've nodded and replied, "Actually, Christmas is, but it's a really nice one too."  Why the change of heart?  (No pun intended, honest.)



It started with a comment someone made in church - "February is the month of love."  I know what he meant.  Everyone does.  It's been said a million times before.  But it didn't sit right with me.  Why is February the month of love?  Why not June?  Or September?  Really, why is there a month of love to begin with?  Seems rather stupid to me.  We're supposed to love God with all our hearts, souls, minds, strength, and might.  We're supposed to love our neighbors like ourselves.  When a person falls in love, they pour themselves into making the other person happy and they learn to sacrifice for him or her.  Everybody knows these kinds of love require our whole heart, our full attention, our continued effort.  So blocking off 1/12 of the year to love people was a really dumb idea.

Before you start shaking your head and murmuring about how wrong I am, think about it.  Girls, when you get flowers, cards, or presents on Valentine's Day, how do you feel?  Loved, appreciated, cared for.  But when you get the exact same gifts on a non-holiday?  All of the above - times three, because someone took the effort and thought of you when they had no reason or reminder outside of their own desire to make you feel special.  I mean, seriously, what beats that?  I'd rather have a guy - or anyone else, for that matter - spend time and money on me just because and put a smile in the middle of my ordinary day, rather than get Valentine's Day presents because it's expected, it's the norm, and if you don't the other person will be upset that you 'forgot a special day.'

P.S. By this logic all holidays are kinda dumb.  I'll admit that I believe that to some extent.  Most holidays have been turned into something they were never intended to be.  However, if you forget my birthday or Christmas... well, I don't hold grudges or anything, but I may not be the happiest person with you for a few days.  Also, I won't say no to cards or presents on any day of the year, even if it's Valentine's Day, because saying no to nice people on principle of not liking a holiday is stupid too.