Happy Valentine's Day!

I used to say that when I get married this would be the biggest holiday for my husband and me. I hardly ever had a valentine, so I thought I'd make up for those years later. Now, I still don't have a valentine, but the holiday just doesn't seem all that significant. I don't really want to receive overpriced flowers and candy. Well, I wouldn't mind some candy. Heehee. The thing is, I'd like to receive tokens of love throughout the year. Those "just thinking of you" things would be far more meaningful than something my partner bought because he thinks he's supposed to.

Oddly enough, this doesn't apply to my birthday and Christmas. Perhaps it's because those events are meaningful in themselves. St. Valentine's Day is a "real" holiday but the history of it is not especially significant to me.

I think it also depends on the gift. My friend N. got diamond earrings from her boyfriend. Jewelry is something I'd actually use. It's not some one-day-a-year item that I won't look at twice. I don't want a big, red, singing teddy bear that I'm not going to have a place for. I don't want one of those filled balloons that are for sale on every corner the weekend before. Or, the worst gift I ever got: a wicker basket filled with silk roses. Bleh.

A good Valentine's Day celebration for me would include a quiet dinner, a thoughtful card or letter, and maybe a non-valentine's-y gift.