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!