VDay - for Lovers or Friends?

Valentines Day...

Such a small holiday, yet such great controversy.

I've always LOVED V-Day for its dark red flowers, overly-exaggerated displays of hearts, deliciously large amounts of chocolate and the simple recognition of true love.

However, it's simple fact that tons of people HATE the day. They LOATHE it. They think it's a disgusting, Hallmark-made, money-wasting, fake of a holiday.

I can at least make sense of the reasoning behind single ladies' dislike for V-Day. When you're not in a relationship, it can seem tauntingly catty to recognize a designated day for the celebration of romantic love, which can seemingly be found in nauseatingly vast dosages everywhere but in one's own life.

But how can people in relationships dislike having yet another day in which their significant other is expected to shower them with affection and gifts? Take for example, my friend, Lauren, whose long-term boyfriend decided to surprise her by flying up for Valentines Day weekend. Instead of being swept off her feet by this romantic gesture of the one person she loves more than anything in this world, she complained to me about her hatred of the infamous red & pink Valentines Day color scheme and her refusal to let her boyfriend make any sort of plans for they day.

This was all quite baffling to me, until I spent my first Valentines Day with a boyfriend. I was beyond excited to have a date that year, to go out to a romantic, candlelit dinner, and open a thoughtfully chosen gift. But when Valentines Day rolled around, I was left with nothing but disappointment and regret. Of course, I had a fabulous time with my amazing boyfriend, but the night wasn't that much different than any other date night. And what got to me the most was knowing that all of my single girlfriends were together having some huge, carefree, outrageously fun we're-so-glad-we're-single bash. That's when I realized WHY I loved Valentines Day - it's the one day of the year when girls proudly take the time to appreciate their independence and long-lasting friendships.

So this year when my roommate told her boyfriend she was going to spend Valentines Day with the girls instead of him, I wasn't surprised in the least. While true, romantic love is beyond important, couples take time regularly to celebrate their relationship. Valentines Day has now come to serve as the day when women everywhere make time to have a 'girls night' and celebrate their independence from men. (This year, I'm having dinner and going to see the movie 'Valentines Day' with 30 of my girlfriends!)

So, women of the world, if you've been feeling blue and dreading this upcoming Sunday, I am telling you to brush off the dust and open your eyes! Because Carrie Bradshaw was 150% correct when she said, "maybe our girlfriends are our soulmates and guys are just people to have fun with."

Ok, so putting my female empowerment spiel aside, if you are in a relationship and you either don't know what to ask for or don't know what to get your girlfriend, just check out juicycouture.com! They even have a Juicy Love-O-Meter that helps you pick out gifts based on how much love you're feeling!
This is what the Love-O-Meter looks like!

And this is the Valentines Day gift that it helped me pick out for myself! Next stop, Juicy on Newbury, because I've GOT to have this ring...

Some of my best friends and me!!! <3 So much love!