the day after the night before

Feb 15th is best day of the year. No, I really mean that. Chocolates and cinnamon hearts at half price. score.

Feb 14th just makes me sad: I try my very hardest every single year to ignore it, but it's almost impossible (even the Friends repeat that was on last night was a v-day theme ... *sigh*). I used to give out cheesy grade school valentines, buy candy for co-workers and friends, even pick up a rose or two for my mom and then I realised... what the hell am I doing all this for anyway? So Hallmark can continue to gouge whatever genuine sentiment there's left in the world for a profit? No thanks man. I'm not dumping on all those coupled people out there who went to some lengths to make Feb 14th special - really, I'm not. I just don't understand why we choose this arbitrary day to express feelings and do kindnesses that we should be doing all year. Am I impressed by a pink-and-red card on Feb 14th? Not really. You'd have to be pretty obtuse to miss the constant reminders. I'm way more impressed on any other day of the year.

When I was younger (so much younger than today), I used to send random gifts of cookies and cards and cheap souvenirs to my beau. Because I thought of him when he wasn't there, I wanted to let him know that, yes, i would much rather have shared the experience with him. I have no idea if he appreciated these things. He never reciprocated. I stopped doing them. We broke up. And though he made the effort for Feb 14th (sometimes) it just never made up for the lack of sentiment all year-round. Perhaps it's the phoniness of it all - the forcedness - that irritates me most: "buy your girl some flowers/sweets/lingerie and she'll know you thought of her on v-day!" big whoop. Give your girl daisies in August - that's how you show her you care.

oh, and gentlemen? It doesn't count if she (or an entire greeting card industry, for that matter) has to remind you, drop hints, circle catalogues or sigh sadly. Those flowers you get her? make sure you mean it. Can't afford bouquets? Draw her a rose, make her a card, tell her you love her. On Feb 14th? sure. But trust me when I say that she'll be so much more appreciative when she least expects it.