Valentines Day

Post Reply New Topic

That's so sad. It was nice of you to get something for your mother.
I hope you managed to have a nice day on the 14th.


My daughter loves it too.
I bought her a card and set up a Valentine's theme seasonal display for her to enjoy.

i was born almost exactly 9 months after valentines day

This year on Valentine's Day, I am going to an American Red Cross center to give blood.

Perfect, especially considering Valentine's started with a beheading.

In my opinion valentines day is too commercialised. Corporations would make us think we need to buy things, cards, chocolates and limited time festive drinks for our significant others.
I don't partake in this day on principle
Christmas, Easter, new years and birthdays are the only days I celebrate

Why would you have to buy things to participate?
When I've "done" Valentines with my partner there's no gifts or money spent.

Actually one year he gave me a reading chair but the timing was coincidental.

That's true, it works out if you have someone who also shares the non commercialised mindset.
In my experience, on valentines day it is usually expected to show affection with a small token.
I could see myself partaking in this event if the intentions were purely romantic but like most holidays, celebrations usually have a monetary obligation.

It's meant to be for friends and acquaintances as much as partners.

I love the little valentines kids share at school.

Your ma and pa made the best of it then

...i guess you're right!

Could you share more about what aspects of Valentine's Day you find puzzling or if you're looking for different perspectives on celebrating love? I would be willing to help or offer support and explain my understanding if that is the desired response.

The stores here tend to sell out of holiday candy before the holiday. Right now thery're selling more Easter candy than Valentines. They stock less candy so the stores don't have to reduce the price later; except when the regular price is a bit more expensive so they can sell it for a reg retail price while advertizing the sale.

Usually I dislike rituals and having special days of the year for things, but I grew up with positive feelings about Valentine's Day because it seemed romantic and I was very interested in romance when I was going through puberty. My very first romantic gesture was to give a girl at school a home-made Valentine card when I was about 9 years old. I didn't know what to put as the message so I just wrote something like "Happy Valentine's Day." She was very impressed. I didn't know what to do next, so I just left it at that.

I don't much like the modern stereotypical commercialised version where it's just chocs, flowers and off-the-peg cards, but I've been known to go along with it when my partner at the time seemed to like that kind of thing. But I much prefer it to have a personal touch, like making my own greeting card and giving a gift that's a bit more original and imaginative. I hate to play into the hands of capitalists. Colossal fluffy teddy bears are pretty much out of the question. I'd feel like a complete idiot buying one of those, for one thing. I prefer to express my romantic side in subtle ways.

As a kid I liked how doing that took time out of class & I liked getting candy. But on the other hand my mom bought cards that she made me give all my classmates & I hated having to write anything due to handwriting issues & not being able to think of what to write. I mighta been overthinking the writing some but when I signed them all the exact same way mom complained about it being too repetitive; mom made straight As in English class & was always the teacher's pet. Mom also said some of the cards in the packs were not appropriate to give to boys because they said the word Love in it like said With Love. Typical case of mom trying to push me to do something because it's a somewhat typical normal expected thing to do but she adds requirements which adds to my frustratation & causes me to want to avoid it more.

^
You mean the school led the Valentine thing? And they told kids to give cards to more than one girl each? My school did no such thing, and I gave my card to that girl off my own bat. To my mind it wouldn't have meant as much if it had been a school exercise with a teacher getting everybody to do it. It's only my personal opinion but I don't see it as quite right somehow when teachers and schools involve themselves in the romantic activities of the kids. We always kept them completely in the dark about that side of our lives.

Anyway I got the tradition wrong. In my locale at the time, the idea was supposed to be that you got the card delivered anonymously and the girl had to try to guess who'd sent it. But luckily for me, the girl didn't mind.

My schools did not require students to give out Ventines but the students who gave them were required to give them to the entire class so nobody would feel left out by avoiding some of the popularity contest bragging & to keep the more romantic stuff out of school. My mom was a pre-K teacher & the parents of some of her students brought candy for the whole class & sometimes gave out dinky cards to everyone.