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To save my intimidating image I could claim I only say I love Valentine’s Day because I love playing devil’s advocate. However, it’s more truthful to admit I really do have a warm and gooey center like an Otis Spunkmeyer chocolate–chip cookie.
Cynical singles and unhappy couples alike argue the “hallmark holiday” is a commercialized fluffy-pink joke, worth no more than a scoff.
The truth of this holiday is that everyone needs love. I’m a big fan of love. I doodled the word love on the left shoe of my white vans and the back of my iPod touch says “All you need is love.”
To me, the cheesy old adage is true. Yes, it can be scary to walk through Walmart wondering if Cupid had a rough night at the Bear and puked all of his Valentine spirit between aisles 11 and 12.
However, the fact that the U.S. seems to have gone overboard shouldn’t be shocking, nor should it stop us from showing each other we care. There are plenty of happy couples who don’t feel the need to pick only one day to shower their special someone with affection. For those of you who are lucky enough to be in a relationship where romantic gestures are not limited to one day, kudos to you.
For the rest of us, don’t write off the holiday just because you’re afraid it may suck. It’s the only chance you may get to make sure your honey does something a little extra. You should jump at the excuse to make your special someone feel good about themselves.
I know there are plenty of people shuddering right now, hoping their significant others are not reading this column.
Don’t fret. There’s no reason to be afraid of a little tender love and cuddling — especially with these easy hints for making your valentine’s heart melt this year.
Personality — The first rule of valentining is to make it personal. Anyone can run to the dollar store and pick up a box of chocolates, but it takes an attentive friend to notice that you said you love chocolate fondue. Buying a couple of fruits and sugary goodies to dip in your homemade fondue is simple and typically cheaper than going all out on an expensive box of truffles.
Memories — Play off of previous experiences. First dates are a great place to start. Take your sweetie somewhere special and reminisce about the butterflies you had during those first few weeks. Picnics are a cheap and simple way to save some money without skimping on the emotional value. Try cutting a peanut butter and jelly sandwiches into heart shapes and enjoying apple or grape juice instead of wine. If you’re in a wooded area you can even carve your names into a tree for a little retro romance.
Effort — We understand that not everyone can cook up an awesome meal like Gordon Ramsey, but if you work really hard it’s still cute. Sometimes that image of you covered in flour and breadcrumbs will last much longer than the memory of the meal itself. Maybe things won’t work out just right, but making an effort shows you cared enough to try your hand at something new.
The individual activities can — and should — vary widely from person to person and relationship to relationship, but the basic ideas are the key.
If you take nothing else away from reading this, now that the most important part is to make memories. And for god’s sake people, for just one day put away the cynicism and bring out the love.
Jen can be reached at
managingeditor@theorion.com
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