Women hate being single on Valentine’s Day, and men hate being in a relationship as that dreaded holiday has rolled around once again.
The only thing worse than Valentine’s Day is Sweetest Day. Man, I hate Hallmark.
The big problem that I have with these holidays is that I am completely and utterly missing the point of them. Christians celebrate Christmas to commemorate the birth of Jesus. Jews celebrate Hanukkah to remember the re-dedication of the second temple in Jerusalem. These two examples are holidays in which I can see there is a specific point of holding a celebration. I get it.
Come Feb. 14, every one of us poor saps who are in a relationship, regardless of ethnicity or religion, end up making the trek to the local florist and the nearest store (possibly the gas station) which sells a heart-shaped box of chocolates. Again, I ask, what is the point?
Of course, the romantic will respond that the point of Valentine’s is to present our love to our beloved, to show them how much we appreciate and care for them.
Should we not be doing that every single day though? Why do we need some random day in February to show how much we love and care for the person we are in a relationship with? People should not feel forced or obligated to buy their loved one flowers, candy, a card with some B.S. written in it, and a fancy dinner. We should want to do those things. We should do these things because we love our significant other, not because our calendar says it is time to do so.
So, for my fellow guys, if you truly love your wife or girlfriend, do not wait until the next Valentine’s to get her some flowers. It will show her how much you care about her and that you were thinking of her. Plus, let us be honest, women love that crap even though flowers die a week later. If you are one of the lucky ones and your girlfriend/wife doesn’t care for flowers, then do something else to show her that you care. Offer to help her study for a big test or help her with the dishes. It doesn’t have to be something extravagant, sometimes it is the little things that mean the most.
For my women readers, if you are lucky enough to have a good man who shows you how much he loves you throughout the entire year and not just on holidays, do not forget to get him a little something to show how much you care about him. Good news: the thing we guys enjoy the most is completely free and you don’t even have to wrap it.
With a few flowers, some more sex, and some selflessness, maybe we can start reducing the ridiculously high divorce rate and make our relationships not feel like a chore.
So maybe the point of Valentine’s isn’t to force us to buy overpriced roses, but to serve as a reminder; a reminder that just saying you love someone is not enough.
Actions speak much louder than words. n