Valentines Day - or why I hate reading articles about it

Here's the latest example:

"How Not to Gain Weight on Valentine's Day"

I don't hate Valentines Day. I rather enjoyed as a kid handing out the little cardstock cards saying "Bee mine" with a little picture of a bee for example. The act of stuffing a homemade mailbox full of cards was fun, to say the least.

However, when you grow up, Valentines Day becomes all about gifts, chocolate and flowers.

I bucked that trend a long time ago. My boyfriends quickly learned that I wouldn't be happy with a gi-normous bundle of flowers. All I wanted was a single rose with a pretty velvet ribbon. On occasion, a cute stuffed animal. The man who married me even gave me a bit of jewelry one year.

That's as far as it goes for me. I think its idiotic that people have Valentines Day "arms" races to see what guy can spend the most on his lady. Or lady spend the most on their lady. For that matter, Sweetest Day in October is the same thing.

My husband and I have declared Valentines Day and Sweetest Day null holidays. We'll say Happy X Day to each other, but there's no gifts, no fancy meals, no insanely expensive things, etc.

We prefer to show each other love on the date of our union - our anniversary. This makes much more sense. And we don't go crazy and buy tons of jewelry or anything. We spend the day together and enjoy some time. Sometimes we pick up a bottle of wine. We also tend to go on vacation around our anniversary since its right by Memorial Day, so there's a paid day off.

Why people make such an insanely big deal out of two days a year and then treat each other like crap is beyond me. My husband shows love by cooking dinner and fixing my scooter. I show love by making him things and cleaning the house. Its that partnership that shows love, not either of us spending mega bucks (or not) on the holiday.

So I encourage you to think outside the box and plan something nice for your anniversary - even if its just taking your spouse to the park and then Pizza Hut for dinner. That would show more love than anything the press is suggesting.