| posted on February 8, 2018
WELL, it’s Valentine’s Day next week and I totally forgot about it until last Wednesday.
I was at a shop buying a birthday gift for someone and there was a stand of red and pink V-Day cards by the counter, and my initial thought was, OMG I’m so not organised for that.
Don’t get me wrong, I love Valentine’s Day and I think it’s really cute when flowers turn up at work for peoples’ partners, but the pressure of getting the right gift is a tad intense.
Especially when you see the typical overkill-sized bouquets of roses and the six-foot teddy bears around the place, even though you know in reality, that person’s relationship is in the pits and that couple barely speaks to each other.
But despite this fact, you feel the need to compete and buy a better gift for your other half, because you think you have to show the world how much you love someone by buying the best gift.
Unfortunately, as with most traditions and holidays, consumerism has crawled all over Valentine’s Day and now it has become a massive marketing ploy to guilt-trip people into spending hundreds on diamonds and gifts for one particular day of the year.
Now, I realise this makes me sound cynical, and I don’t mean to, but it really irks me when people see Valentine’s Day as a way to show off.
“Ooh look at me, my boyfriend bought me this super expensive white-gold bracelet and a gazillion roses, love you babe” – sure thing, love, but didn’t you just tell me yesterday you were sick of him never texting you back and felt like you never had quality time together anymore?
I’ll be honest here.
When my previous relationship was starting to head south, I thought that maybe Valentine’s Day would be the romantic kick we needed and it would rekindle our little flame.
I built up the big day in my head and spent a bit extra on the gift, but unfortunately, we acted the same and the flame continued to slowly fizzle out.
Valentine’s Day is built up to be this massive thing, and people feel the need to spend heaps to show their love for someone.
We are teased by advertisements saying things like “show her you truly care by…”, and if you can’t afford it?
Well, I guess it means you don’t really love that person, apparently.
I love having special days like Valentine’s Day, but showing your love and appreciation for someone shouldn’t be restricted to just one day.
You know what I think is romantic?
When your partner picks a flower from the garden because they thought it was pretty, and they thought of you.
When they give you a foot rub without you asking, after a long day at work.
When they let you whinge about your crappy day, and don’t feel the need to interrupt you to brag about their fantastic day.
When your partner knows that all you need is a cuddle.
I love Valentine’s Day and I would love to get a little something, but I’d like to think it’s not the only day in the year when my partner will show his love for me.
I’d like to think that showing someone you love them by getting them something they like or doing something nice for them happens all year round.
So don’t sit around and keep displays of affection for February 14.
Sprinkle love on every moment of every day.
