Saturday Selects is a series of posts I write on the first Saturday of each month to discuss a topic outside the general bookish theme of the blog. Today the topic is Valentine’s Day.
What’s the day mean to you? Maybe it’s been full of memories? Or perhaps you can’t wait for the calendar to say it’s the 15th of the month? To me, the day means next to nothing. I worked in a grocery store in an upper middle class suburb for a long time. And every year around this time the store would be full of men buying their girlfriends or wives or mothers roses, chocolate, chocolate covered strawberries, and cards. And I just don’t see the reasoning behind it.
I mean, is there anything less romantic than flowers that are going to die in a week? How does buying chocolate or flowers prove you care about or love someone? And why are we so enamored with going out of our way to show it on one day of the year? It’s ridiculous.
I think the whole thing is a game. A game people in relationships play to set the stage for the coming months. They know how superficial the entire thing is, but they partake anyway.
Most of the holidays and non-holidays we celebrate make no sense to me, but Valentine’s Day is right at the top. Not really because I’m interested in telling people what they should or should not be celebrating, but because society as a whole has been trained to believe that Valentine’s Day is about showing how much you love someone. But it isn’t. That’s something that should happen every single day.
What’s your take on the day we celebrate every February 14?
Johnny Reads 
Yeah, I agree. It’s way over commercialized. And I’m probably one of the few people that actually knows the origins of the date and the saint it was named after. But there is nothing close to the origins evident in modern culture. I’m single currently, but when I was in past relationships, I still hated Valentine’s Day. You’re right, love should be shown on a daily basis, not just one day a year. Just like at Christmas when people are more apt to be generous and give to people in need–that, too, should be year-round.
So, I concur. It’s a ridiculous holiday.
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The entire day is commercialized. TV ads. Radio ads. Sales. Everything. There is nothing romantic or special about it. You know how I feel about Christmas. Ugh.
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I know that game, and I don’t play it. The whole thing is like Black Friday for Hallmark. Then there’s the limited menus with jacked up prices and long waiting lists at every restaurant.
My husband and I have date nights. We randomly surprise each other with “gifts” that are more along the lines of “why don’t you just chill for the next hour. I’ll take care of the kitchen.” Neither of us are big on “stuff”… We’d much rather go get a quiet glass of wine on a kid-free night than go out and prove our couple-ness on the most crowded and superficial night of the year.
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Yes! Exactly. Stupid Hallmark. The writing in their cards isn’t even that great. Ugh. And giving and getting gifts from a spouse or boyfriend isn’t bad, but it’s ridiculous when it’s ONLY for these “holidays” because that when it becomes convenient. And your idea of a gift is much more reasonable than the crap I see people getting and giving because the calendar says February 14 or December 25.
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Is Valentine’s day coming? huh.
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What?
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Valentine’s Day is a pretty doofy holiday, and it seems like the only people who actually acknowledge it are single folks feeling sorry for themselves. As someone in a relationship, I can say that it’s not worth feeling sorry over! It’s a dumb holiday. Also, being single is pretty awesome. It can have its detractors, but so do relationships.
I do laugh when guys give the line about “flowers are pointless because they die.” My fiancé used to say the same thing and I’d just smh. Why are men so fixated on the fact that flowers aren’t immortal? Why does that matter? I mostly like being surprised by things, but it’s also nice to have something brighten up my table for a couple weeks. I guess appreciation for stuff like that is more of a girl thing, lol, although I’ll admit that many flowers are *way* overpriced.
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Hahaha about flowers not being immortal! The only reason I mention them is because most of the people who do celebrate tend to take the easy way out by buying flowers. I mean, if you’re going to celebrate you might as well CELEBRATE, right? Flowers just won’t cut it. And yes, I find the prices of the kinda sorta somewhat nice but not really flower arrangements a bit ridiculous. If you’re paying more than like $19.99 for some flowers I’m just like “Nah.” 😂
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