It’s a cold, wet, snowy Valentine’s Day here in Boston. I wake up this morning hoping that the city will be closed down and work will be canceled. I have that same hope as when I was a little kid praying for school to be canceled. I look out the window to survey the damage. Crap! There is only a small layer of slush carpeting the roads, nothing that will give me the day off.
I make the journey to work while thinking of what needs to be done for this Valentine’s Day. First on the list will be to call my mom and my grandmother. They always appreciate the gesture and even though I call every year they always act like they’re surprised. You gotta love em.
Next on the list is to make it through the day without puking from all the lovey dovey crap that I’ll hear around the office. Everyone in a relationship will have to tell everyone else what special thing they are doing for their significant other. I’ll get to hear about who got chocolates, who got flowers, and who is going out for an expensive romantic dinner. Ugh, I’m getting nauseous.
I’m sitting at my desk now typing and I overhear our secretary tell someone that she bought flowers for herself. WTF! After doing a quick Google search, I find that 15% of U.S. women send flowers to themselves on Valentines Day. I’m not sure what to make of this, is it a social proof thing? Are they in denial that they’re not in a relationship? I don’t know, it’s weird.
All week I’ve been hearing about this new anti-Valentines sentiment. It’s basically a backlash against the holiday due to its over commercialization. Not to mention that it divides people into two types: those in a relationship and those that aren’t. I suppose all those single people are sick and tired of hearing about their non-relationships.
Personally, I don’t see what the big deal is. Valentine’s is just another day. You can make it whatever you want it to be. Although, for those that are in relationships, do you really need a special day to show your love for each other? Maybe I just have immunity from being single for so long.
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Social pressure is a huge factor for women especially during the holidays. Maybe I’ll blog about that at some point.
It’s one day out of the year when florists and card shops cash in.
You don’t need a special day to show how much you care for someone.
Originally this day was supposed to be a day when you could declare your love for an unsuspecting individual. I remember receiving anonymous valentines when I was younger, now that was fun!
I’m in a relationship & it makes me ill, too. Glad I don’t have to be in an office, hearing about everyone else’s romantic gestures all day - that would drive me nuts. Why do we wait until some random day in Feb. to show our appreciation to those we love?
And WHY would people send flowers to themselves? That just seems pathetic…
Ana,
Interesting about the social pressure thing. I suppose you mean that if a woman is single then she feels pressured to get a boyfriend. Is that right?
Suze,
Glad you came to visit my blog, I’m a big fan of yours. I like the idea of anonymous valentines, it’s kind of adventuresome, maybe I’ll give it try next year.
No one in particular,
Your lucky you weren’t in my office on Vday. I felt like the whole office was coated in sugar, that’s how cheesey it got. I’m still baffled about the flower thing.
-Matt Savage
That is a great idea! Send flowers to ourselves as social proof!
When I was single my best friend and myself went out for the night enjoying ourselves and the options.
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