Valentine's Day is for Lovers

"Valentine's Day is for lovers, Julia. Not children."
-- D.P. Rock, 2006

I think this makes me laugh most because he said "lovers". A word I rarely use, but always makes me simultaneously want to giggle and feel creepy (kind of like the words "Panties").

He went on to explain that he does not understand why people give Valentine cards and gifts to people other than those they are romantically involved with. He suggested that children exchanging Valentine Cards at school is a silly notion, and maintains that he's never liked or participated in this tradition, not even as a child. (I think he's full of crap!) When questioned by a friend last night whether or not he would even do some sort of special "Father Daughter" valentine thing in the future, he quickly offered that he would NOT. (What? THESE are the things you should discuss in pre-marital counseling! I'm married to a monster!)

Valentines Day has never been that big of a deal to me. My aunt, only 5 years my senior, used to call me every V-day to insure that I was wearing black in opposition to the day. Perhaps I wore black a few times, but mostly I have just noted Valentines day to be a nice break from winter doldrums celebrated with too many sweet tarts, a red sweater, and some pleasant cards with hearts on them. What's not to love? As a kid, I liked to receive cards, loved to make my box in which the cards were received, and painstakingly selected just the right card from my box to insure that I was not sending the wrong message to any of my classmates. (i.e. I can't give Jason that "I think you're sweet" card because he might think I want to be his girlfriend. Ewww!)

I did have a new boyfriend just before Valentines Day in 5th grade. His name was Eric. A nice, but rather short Jewish boy. I was new to exchanging gifts with boys (a late bloomer I was), and did not know that anything more than an extra package of sweet tarts in his Valentine would be expected. When I got to school, one of my friends met me at the door to tell me that Eric had already put a present on my desk. Totally panicked, I searched my backpack for any spare change I had, and headed straight for the school bookstore. I had just enough money for a yellow fine tooth comb and a pencil. I remember watching him open his gift (wrapped in construction paper and staples) from across the room, and was horrified when he just scoffed at my gift and laughed at with his friends. BOYS CAN BE SO HEARTLESS! Just a few days later, Eric broke up with me. He said it was because my mom would not let me receive more than one phone call a night from him, but I still believe that it was the comb and pencil that doomed our budding relationship.

This experience did not damage my Valentine spirit, and E and I were quite excited when Valentines arrived in the mail today from her various grandparents and friends. We both shouted "CANDY" and "MONEY" at the same time, as we opened the envelopes and uncovered their contents.

Valentines is for lovers...and for anyone else who wants to send us sugar and cash!

By the way, for you cynics who say "Valentine's Day was created by Hallmark to sell some cards"...you are wrong.