The Reason I Hate Valentine's Day:

I hate Valentine's Day. This hatred has been almost lifelong (when I was a kid and I could focus mainly on the candy aspect, it was alright but beyond the elementary school party experience, I lost interest) and it is in no way altered by having a relationship on this date. This year, yes, I am single but this was not the case between 2008-2011 and I hated it then too. So what is it about this day that me, and many others out there, just can't stand? Let me explain...
I thoroughly enjoy the idea of what Valentine's Day was SUPPOSED to represent. A day dedicated to love...I mean, who doesn't love love? Love can be a beautiful thing, it can change your life in amazing ways, it can cure loneliness and ease pain, it can heal. And if this holiday of ours had stuck to celebrating the great attributes of love in all forms (Hey, we have the rest of the year to deal with the bullshit side of love....) I would totally support it and celebrate it with a smile. 


But somewhere along the line, around the time that people got greedy and corporations got large, Valentine's Day stopped being strictly about the celebration of love, now didn't it? In these wonderful modern times of ours a little card and a small box of chocolates isn't good enough. Unless of course there happens to be a 14 kt. gold bracelet inside that damned box. And if you are suffering financially and you are in the unfortunate position of being with someone on this date, you had damned well better sell a kidney to get your beloved exactly what she or he wants come tomorrow. Why? Because if you don't, society (and if you happen to be with an asshole, male or female, the person you love) will make you feel like shit about your lack of participation in this give me-give me-give me....ummm...sorry....love holiday. And if you are single and you would like to think of February 14th as either just another day or a celebration of love for yourself, your friends, your family, hell, your pet rock...whatever...you are bitter and half-insane. But I thought this was a holiday full of hearts and flowers, love and smiles. What happened? Good question. The bottom line is that the beautiful sentiment that kept this holiday going is gone now and unless people like me want to rebel against it by not buying into it, it will continue to be lost.


Now, I see nothing wrong with taking the person you love out to a romantic dinner and buying that person pretty things if you can. However you choose to celebrate your love, go for it. The problem is the expectation of these things. I, personally, am a poor bitch. I have always been a poor bitch. Perhaps it is because of this that I am happier with tokens of love that come from the heart than those that cost a fortune. I get misty eyed over a love letter, a single rose, a song posted to my facebook wall with a sweet message attached....something that comes from the heart as opposed to the wallet. To me, dropping cash if you have it means far less than gestures that come from a place of love. Especially if it is in celebration of a day meant to honor love. And if you drop cash that you don't really have, I feel bad. I would never want to see anyone I love in any way stress out over buying me something for any occasion or feel bad because they couldn't buy me something....Maybe I am an exception to some secret rule or maybe there are more people (yes, chicks too) who feel the same than one might imagine. 


And if you are reading this right now and you are completely bummed out because you do not have a significant other to bring you flowers, candy, and five hundred dollar gifts tomorrow...Just remember this: Romantic love isn't the only kind of love there is in the world. Do you have people around you who would give the world to see you happy? People who miss you when you're gone or make you laugh when life sucks? Well, then, there ya go. You are NOT alone and you will not be alone tomorrow. Tell those people you love them. Post a song on their facebook with a nice message to it, get a card, go to lunch...whatever. Celebrate that love tomorrow in whatever way you wished you could with a "special someone" because anyone who loves you that you love in return IS special, damn it. And being single? It aint so bad. It's better than spending Valentine's Day with someone you are technically with who makes you miserable, right? I've been there...and I'll bet you have too. Take yourself out tomorrow if that would make you happy. Do something special for you. Because no matter who comes and goes in your life, you will always have yourself so you better be at least as nice to the person who is always there as you would be to everyone else. Do I sound like some new age hippie witch bitch? Well, maybe...But I have a point, don't I? 


So love is beautiful and it should be celebrated everyday. It should have its own day as well. It should live inside of everyone all of the time. What it should not do is cause stress and misery to someone who cannot afford to celebrate it with diamonds and gold nor should it be narrowed down to one type and used to make anyone without this sort of love in their life feel bad about it. These are anti-love sentiments. They do not belong in Valentine's Day. So tomorrow while you are out and about and you are gagging at the public displays of crap going on around you because it is February 14th, think of the love that is in your life and smile. Because all love is worthy of celebration. Right? Fuckin' A, I'm right. hahaha


Happy Valentine's Day, people. 

And if you are still really unhappy about tomorrow....see if this doesn't make you grin a little:

Yeah, that's Seether and yes....the title is Fuck Me Like You Hate Me. Pretty great as far as an anti-Valentine's Day tune goes, huh? :)