All you need to do is walk into the CVS/Duane Reade/Walgreens and simply, I don’t know, open your eyes, to notice that it is the season of Hallmark Heaven, i.e. Valentines Day is upon us. No other major holiday on the lunar calendar is anything like Valentines Day. Small red heart shaped boxes of chocolates have no religious affiliation, oversized “I Love You” teddy bears do not have any national or historical significance and flower bouquets do not mark a cultural new year or change in the season. Nevertheless, our culture gets all wrapped up in the anticipation of and planning for Cupid’s one day of glory every year.
Besides my one major complaint this year about the fact that Valentines Day falls literally on the first day of Lent (what terrible planning was that?! How am I both supposed to enjoy my chocolates and give up sweets? Stupid, just stupid), I have a lot of issues with the whole idea of just one day dedicated to love, in general. I don’t need that sort of pressure. What if I have a bad day on Thursday? Is my entire relationship doomed for the year if my boyfriend and I don’t have an absolutely amazing Valentines Day together?! Meh. That is way too much stress for a relationship to handle. I think love should be spontaneous, organic and fun. I don’t need Hallmark telling me when to declare my love or how to do it. I’ve got that covered, thank you very much. Valentines Day (a day which I just need to say should always be on Wednesdays so we can all wear pink and whip out the best Mean Girls quote of all time) seems artificial to me – it was, after all, invented by the same people who make all the small red heart shaped chocolate boxes, oversized “I Love You” bears, heart-overloaded cards and so on that everyone buys for the occasion. Can somebody say ch-ching?
I think love needs to fill every facet of our lives at every waking moment. I LOVE LOVE! God, I’m such a girl. But, even if we live everyday like it is Valentines Day (I don’t mean literally- please do not wear pink hearts everyday or nom on chocolates on the regs, I promise you will regret it if you do), it might be nice to have a little boost of love once a year. I must admit, I am not above it all. I try to sound like I am too good for the socially constructed, artificially planned Hallmark Holiday from hell, but in truth, I like it just as much as the next girl. I’ll wear something pink, eat some chocolate (Lent can be postponed one day, right?), and hope my boyfriend remembers to send me flowers. I’ve got a nice little date planned and I’m praying the day runs smoothly. So, no matter how corny, fake and Hallmark-y Valentines Day may seem to those of us who pretend to be just too cool for it (by the way, no one is too good for chocolate), try to enjoy the day if you have someone special in your life to share it with. And if you don’t, the hell with it: wear purple, call it Galentines Day and drink a bottle of wine.