Reasons Why Valentines Day Is A Crock

Bah!

Humbug!

No, wait, that’s for Christmas right?

What does a person say that isn’t a fan of Valentine’s Day?

I don’t know, so I again reiterate “Bah! Humbug!”

Now that I’ve got that out of my system, let me explain.

I just don’t understand Valentine’s Day. It seems like the perfect ‘holiday’, for lack of a better word, for the confectionary and greeting card industry to make up for a decrease in sales during the Winter slump.

Putting it bluntly — it seems like a fabricated holiday that was created by the confectionary and greeting card industry because they don’t make enough money between Christmas and Spring. Actually, that’s really not fair. It’s not just them. It’s the floral industry, too!

To be fair, I have never taken the time to research the origin of Valentine’s Day. I did know there may be some connection to Saint Valentine — but I knew nothing about him, or the connection. So, in light of this blog, I called on my good friend Wikipedia and did some digging.

As it turns out there was more than one Saint Valentine. At least two of them died martyrs, around the date of February 14th. ‘The Feast of Saint Valentine was established by Pope Gelasius I in AD 496 to be celebrated on February 14 in honour of Saint Valentine of Rome, who died on that date in AD 269’(1).

So, let’s be clear.

A man sacrificed himself in 269 AD as a matter of principal, and years later he was made a Saint. I’m not debating the reasons behind his martyrdom — he may have made a difference in the world because of his actions.

But why are we celebrating the day of love because of this?

In fact, it wasn’t until the 1400’s that Valentine’s Day even started to become associated with love or anything close to that. To boot, it wasn’t to show our undying love and devotion to another human being either. It was to settle disputes between lovers.

So, again, let’s be clear.

Lovers were not getting along, needed help resolving their differences, and somehow we are now celebrating the day of love because of it.

Are you as confused as I am?

It wasn’t until the turn of the 19th century that handwritten Valentine’s became ‘in vogue’. Guess what? They quickly became so popular that they started to be manufactured in factories.

Are you seeing the dollar signs like I am?

It quickly evolved from there to include chocolates and sweets.

When I Was Young

When I was a young girl, from time to time, my father would arrive home with a bouquet of flowers for my mother. For no reason at all. Just because he was thinking of her.

As I grew older, he started to include a carnation or single rose for myself and one for my sister too. It made us feel so special.

For no reason. Just because.

Now, let’s be honest. My dad isn’t great at remembering dates. He consistently forgets birthdays. You can actually ask him my sisters birthday — he honestly doesn’t remember, although he knows it’s at the end of March. It’s just not his strong suit.

He’s really good at making those boring days special though. At bringing me a hot coffee at work because he knows that I’ve had a hard week. At calling to check in because one of my kids had a test at school they were nervous about. Or, at bringing my mom flowers just because it’s Tuesday.

All this made me understand that there is truly nothing special about mass-marketed days spurred on by the confectionary/greeting card/floral industries (I’m looking at you, Valentine’s Day).

Yes, we should be showing our affection for the ones we love.

Yes, we should be reaching out and making them feel loved in authentic ways.

Yes, we should be buying (or better yet, making!) gifts for them so they know they are special.

But we should be doing that randomly throughout the entire year. Especially when it’s Tuesday!

In fact, we shouldn’t be doing this on Valentine’s Day. Who wants to spend $100 on a bouquet of roses, just to have them dead one week later? Or buy a box of chocolates, that ends up collecting dust and is regifted at Christmas?

The moral of this story is, treat your loved one affectionately and respectfully all year long.

Then you won’t need Valentine’s Day to make them feel truly loved.

And, if they really need to be validated with some kind of material item on Valentine’s Day just because it’s Valentine’s Day — do you really want to be with someone like that?

I’m just saying. I wouldn’t.

Until next time………………………XO-JGF