Posting early about Valentine's Day

[mizarchivist]

By a show of hands (rhetorical), who sees Valentine's Day (hereafter referred to as VD) as a Hallmark holiday that, like Christmas, has been hyped to the point that too often reality never matches that fucking jewelry commercial? ... Yeah, I thought so.
As a kid, I enjoyed getting a heart-shaped box of chocolate from my dad, writing up cards for the whole class (always bought at the drug store, not an excuse to play with glitter. Don't know why- just how it was done). But then there was the occasions in my adolescence and early 20s where I actually had boyfriends and often, it just wasn't quite what I was hoping. In college I admit, blushingly now, that I flipped out that my Ex did not acquire the heart-shaped box, even though the original ones were far superior to the Russell Stover's type. Watch me be entirely dumb!
Working in a flower shop in which I was gouged by thorns and watched the cost of roses skyrocket in February re-arranged my thinking on the Traditional VD Gifts. Mind you, I'm very fond of roses, even red ones, but they're not my end all and be all. My practical side says VD is the one day in the year that said red roses should be avoided because: inflation = stupid!
The one thing I do love about VD is the excuse to have more chocolate. My practical side does get a certain satisfaction for the 50% off on the 15th, though. As if red and pink packaging at any other time makes the sweets less sweet- pffft!
Dating purple_terror helped curb my social brainwashing. He's Not Fond (TM) of couples holidays (NYE being the other doozy). It took me a while to realize that he'd rather not have a knee-jerk reaction to the day, and he's pretty good about asking what my expectations are from year to year. I will not deny that I'm not 100% immune to the social conditioning, but dammit- I draw the line at those blasted jewelry commercials. I hate them in December, I hate them now. Diamonds don't prove love, m'kay?!
This year quiet_elegance and I are staying in to enjoy each other's company tomorrow. And eat chocolate. If all goes well, Q_E and I will go out salsa dancing- something we said we'd do from time to time to make up for the fact that we're not likely to take classes until the fall. Date night has been reinstituted for P_T and I since Q_E now has class on Wednesday, so we'll have a Nice Dinner next week, but we'd have likely done that anyway- "holiday" be damned!

I think that's more than 2 cents worth on the topic, but there ya go. We loves our LJ cuts, Precious. We do!

Comments

[woodwardiocom.livejournal.com]

-Mmm, chocolate.

[cathijosephine.livejournal.com]

I'm with you on VD, which I call $WINTERHOLIDAY$2$. I think it's a re-vamp of Christmas, only instead of being guilt tripped into acting happy and giving gifts to family, you're supposed to do that with lovers. VD makes me sick.

I'm bummed it means I have to miss Diesel this week, but there's no way I'm walking in on VDTuesday.

[awfief.livejournal.com]

I agree, but like Decemberween, I think there's also something to be said for an honest expression of the holiday (love in this case). We SHOULD be doing it all the time, but sometimes we need a reminder, a focal point to do it. Like an anniversary.

Be Mine!

[catness.livejournal.com]

Lucky me; I appear to have missed the social conditioning. But any holiday that involves the making of Seasonal Chocolate (read: fresher than what's usually been sitting in the bin for six months) makes me happy! I can eat chocolate alone or with whatever sweeties I might have, but I don't buy flowers or try to eat out near this particular chocolate season.

*smooch* :)

Re: Be Mine!

[mizarchivist]

Bonus points for homemade chocolates. I don't think we'll ever have contention on our passion for that sweet dark yum. I had a joke in there, but ... nahhhhh

[kazmat.livejournal.com]

VD is a complete non-event for me. I don't care about it enough one way or the other.
Halloween and xmas are really the only two holidays I celebrate.

[missionista.livejournal.com]

I am so down with half price chocolate on the 15th!!!!

One time, the first year I ever had a lover who was willing to observe the day, said lover gave me a heart shaped box of candy. I was so humiliated--I had to carry that damn thing across campus, and it was EMBARASSING.

[mizarchivist]

I was so humiliated
There's an interesting twist on it!

my 2 cents

[mahoney1979.livejournal.com]

umm, valentines day - if i'm with someone, i feel all warm and fuzzy about it and buy into the mass hysteria that is v-day, but, if i'm solo, it makes me feel like i want to eat glass.

oh, and are you working tomorrow or taking the day off? couldn't tll from your post. if you are working, want to have a anti-v-day lunch? and i promoise promise promise i won't bag out. unless angelina shows up in my room, in which case yeah, i'd bag.

[mizarchivist]

If she shows up in your room, I don't know if our friendship could survive my jealousy. At any rate, I'm not available for lunch, although I approve of the anti VDay sentiment. Thanks for inspiring me to create an Angelina icon. Mmmmm.... Angeliiiinaaaaaaa

[mahoney1979.livejournal.com]

nice icon bra' - let me know when then, cuz i miss ya'

[mizarchivist]

Dim sum Thursday?

[mahoney1979.livejournal.com]

sounds lieka plan stan - it will be our anti v-day lunch ;)

[lifecollage.livejournal.com]

I mentioned this in email, but I'll reiterate here:

mangosteen and I already have two days a year dedicated to celebrating the wonderfulness of us-ness: our Sweetieversary and our Anniversary. Of the two, the former is actually the one that resonates the most: counting the total number of years we've been together, rather than any artificial demark or subset thereof. So, VD for us is a total nonissue.

Even in the past, I never got really worked up about it. Getting a card and a little something from Dad always meant a lot, but now...not so much. And, since I am violently anti-commercialism no matter what holiday it is, constructed holidays like VD just Piss Me Off. They take the emphasis off the personalized and intimate nature of love. Grrr.

All that said, I'm right with you on the chocolate. And *good* homemade chocolate is right up my alley. But even that was trumped by the package of cookie dough he bought me to celebrate my return. W00t!

[feste-sylvain.livejournal.com]

The dinosaurs have something to say about this. (http://www.qwantz.com/index.pl?comic=718)

Me, I'm wedged. I've never observed this Hallmark holiday, but I have a tremendously wonderful spouse who wants me to. Somehow.

[drwex]

Right there wit' ya. This year she's wangled a gift from both the boyfriend (free babysitting) and me (going out to dinner after Diesel on account of we have the aforementioned babysitting). Most years I categorically refuse, but... well, it seemed a small enough thing.

Knowing your wife's love of eating out, perhaps a similar arrangement would work? If you're stuck for kidcare, let me know.

[sweetmmeblue.livejournal.com]

*smooch* Thank you hubby for indulging me :)

[mizarchivist]

Snarf!! Those dinosaurs are awesome. Lactose inconsiderate!!

[shadesong.livejournal.com]

In our house, it's Adam who is the girl in the relationship focuses overly on V-Day; I didn't plan anything for it last year, and he was terribly disappointed. Sulked.

So. This year I have a nice gift for him, and we'll have to get a babysitter so we can have a nice dinner.

Flowers die. I'd rather have books.

And I hate silly gold jewelry, and diamonds are my least-favorite stone - no color! So every time a jewelry commercial has come on during the Olympics, I've turned to Adam and said "Aren't you glad I'm not like other girls?"

(Not going to say what I got him, in case he reads this - but I got Elayna a pretty blue dress. And Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit.)

[quiet-elegance.livejournal.com]

You have just never seen the right diamond. I am of the opinion that people if possible should pick their own stone.

When I was looking at engagement rings (it was a long time ago) I found this one stone that was part of an estate sale. It had an internal fire. It was truly the most magnificent piece of jewelry that I had ever laid eyes upon. Simple and refined, a stunning stone set in white gold. If I had the money at the time I would have walked out with it right then and there. Being in college I was quite strapped. That event ranks in one of my few regrets in life.

[shadesong.livejournal.com]

You have just never seen the right diamond.

That's as may be, but.... dude. They are so expensive, and.... I do like jewelry (mostly silver with/without semiprecious stones), but the cost/value ratio for diamonds just feels way out of whack to me, personally.

Unfortunate that you couldn't get that diamond, though. :(

[virtuallykayla.livejournal.com]

I *HATE Valentines day. After watching the 20th commercial stating "If your man doesnt buy you a diamond you/he aint worthy of breathing" I turned to Mark with a look and said I have a GREAT idea for Valentines day!

We bought lots of stuff at JTs stockroom and a month scriptn to sexand submission .com
Waaaaay better than diamond/chocolates and flowers :)

[emerlion.livejournal.com]

It's too bad that Capitalist overconsumerism has taken over what used to be, for the Romans, a wonderful fertility festival (Saturnalia) where scantily clad young bucks would run around town chasing after nicely endowed and equally scantily clad young women, whipping them with willow branches.

Ah, the good old days....

[mizarchivist]

Ahhh, but we don't need to wait for one day in the year to roll around to do that! Wooohoo!! Yes, it would be nice if it could be more like its roots, but it's not

[feste-sylvain.livejournal.com]

If we were to stick to the roots of Saint Valentine's Day, we'd be passing encrypted notes to prisoners.

And Saturnalia were those pesky days between the end of the natural 360-day calender and the start of the actual new year.

[sebastian-tombs.livejournal.com]

If we were to stick to the roots of Saint Valentine's Day, we'd be passing encrypted notes to prisoners.

Huh? Don't know what you mean here, that doesn't fit my understanding of Lupercalia. See my previous post for more details if you don't know what *I* mean.

[sebastian-tombs.livejournal.com]

There are plenty of ways to show one's appreciation of a lover without spending a significant portion of your monthly (or yearly) salary (especially if you live with them).

It seems to me that most of the relationships I know in this world can use either an excuse to be more romantic or a reason why someone (perhaps both someones) needs to carve time out of their jam-packed schedule for each other.

Do I believe in Valentine's Day as a reason to buy lots of cards? No, although I have a couple of times found geek-cool cards that I did want to pass around (more for the geekiness than the romanticness). As a side note, I was tempted to do the livejournal valentine's thing, with the roses and chocolates (that show up on the giftee's info page), just for that geekiness quotient.

I don't do cards for other occasions either, so why would this holiday be different.

In any case, wren13 DOES NOT DO V-Day, so my opinion matters less than most anyway.

[samuraizergling.livejournal.com]

Well, I for one have taken my own special brand of humor and applied it to this (appropriately abbreviated) holiday. Viola!

A friend of mine is getting a very special gift (http://www.giantmicrobes.com/venereals/) this Valentine's. Muahahaha!

[mizarchivist]

Hah! Yep, there's humor in that one.

[shadesong.livejournal.com]

Hey! Did you see the Valentine stuff in the KoL giftshop?