Why February 15th beats February 14th every day.

I don’t mind Valentine’s Day.  Really, I don’t.  I sorta miss those days where you brought in a shoebox and decorated it with hearts and sparkles and plastic jewels.  And how, with utter care and determination, you carefully selected your rip-apart cardstock Valentine’s, debating the personal love professions of Hello Kitty v. Barbie.  I recall setting aside with extreme focus the one that I would give to my current school crush, maybe even adding a little paint pen to up the saucy factor.

As I grew older the pressure on Valentine’s Day increased.  The idea that it was supposed to be THE most romantic day in the world turned the whole holiday from paper cards and glitter to who could out-romance whom.  My high school sweetheart, for instance, sprung on me with roses and asked me to be his girlfriend on the day.  Scared the crap out of me. (I didn’t really know him that well at the time.)  I also had the fun of being single, or surrounded by singles, who sat in a miserable soup of wallow every year.  And, once I coupled up, I realized that while the couples were bringing themselves to the point of misery to out-love on that day, singles were being reminded of the horror of watching people attempt to out-love each other.

So I turned to the cliché of hating Valentine’s Day.  In my opinion it is a no-win situation, as the pressure of being great or avoiding all of the hearts is just too much.

Instead, I celebrate every February 15th.

On this day the compression chamber of love has whooshed away in release.  There is no push for elaborate flower arrangements, piles of hearts, or sparkle.  Instead, it is the glowing signs of 50-70% off on all these things.  And, because people aren’t whisking around to be perfect, the relief factor is high.  So, on this day you can buy enough love for yourself, your partner, and all the people you care about.  Everyone wins, the Earth aligns, and peace reigns.

So, if you are overtaken by the muchness of the 14th, remember the 15th provides way more chocolate and probably a pretty nice set of flowers.

Further, I have considered moving Christmas to the 26th, but these blasted Europeans keep it going into January on all those celebrations.