A couple of us were discussing this in another thread, but seems to me it deserves its own.
Why do I loathe Valentine's Day? I'm too grumpy to retype, so:
How about you?
Why do I loathe Valentine's Day? I'm too grumpy to retype, so:
Because, if you're in a relationship,
--it feels arbitrary and artificial to set aside this day for forced store-bought expressions of sentimentality that would be better expressed in a spontaneous and sincere way.
--there's tremendous pressure to get it right and not disappoint your significant other, and no matter what you do, it's at best adequate because it's Valentine's Day and it's no more than you're supposed to do, and someone else has inevitably done something better for your significant other's best friend.
--even if you really don't want the sticky-sweet card and over-priced marked-up flowers, you are kind of bummed if you don't get them because that's what the day and all of your acquaintances set you up for feeling, and so you simultaneously feel disappointed and like a shallow ass for feeling disappointed.
-- you're probably stuck going out for an overpriced prix fixe dinner that will involve cutesie heart-shaped crap and a harried, grumpy waitperson.
If you're not in a relationship,
--even if you are completely happy with your life, and you hate everything about Valentine's day, you nonetheless feel left out of all the hoopla, like you just lost at musical chairs, and if you're not entirely happy with your life, you start to wonder exactly wtf is wrong with you that the entire rest of the world is half of a couple and you aren't.
-- your coupled friends are all doing something with one another, and if you go out with your single friends, your dinner options are limited to overpriced prix fixe dinners for two that involve cutesie heart-shaped crap and a harried, grumpy waitperson.
No matter who you are,
-- there are those gawd-awful "he went to Jared" and "Every kiss begins with Kay" commercials that make you want to punch out the TV screen.
How about you?
Despite what I said above, I'm totally eyeballing the bags of peanut butter chocolate hearts. >.> I can't walk through those aisles too much, or I get mad cravings. But tomorrow, they'll be 2 for a dollar!
