Today marks the third Valentine’s Day during which I’ve had a blog. Since I’ve marked the occasion with a post both times, I’ll do the same today.
Here’s an excerpt from last year’s post, titled Russell Stover: What a dick:
Ah yes, Valentine’s Day, also known as Christmas for the chocolate, flower, and greeting card industries. It’s the day where you can make up for a year of relationship neglect with red cards, candy, and an expensive dinner; where showing someone you care means buying all the same unimaginative crap everyone else is buying — at a tremendous mark-up — on the day everyone else has chosen to also do so. Hallmark says 192 million Valentine cards are sent out every year, and it’s the “top card-buying occasion of the year for men.â€Â
What a sham.
And from a post at my old blog two years ago titled Valentine’s day comes around once again…
I’m tired of made-up holidays masquerading as something besides economic stimuli. The chocolate and flower-delivery industries are making a killing off all the female insecurity floating around and pissing on male foreheads everywhere. Fuck Valentine’s Day.
Yeah, I still agree with that. I almost didn’t get The GDGF anything this year, but relented at the last minute and bought her a book. I’m so goddamn romantic, eh? Since the gift is something I would have bought for her anytime and not just for the sake of a made-up holiday, I don’t feel dirty about the purchase.
I’ll basically say what I said the last two years: if you have to set aside a special day every year to show affection for your spouse or partner because you don’t show enough affection all the other days, then your relationship has probably got a problem that chocolates and flowers won’t solve.
And fuck Russell Stover. That dick.
Clearly I agree, but the vehemently gender-biased attitude implicit in your 2004 post rankles me.
But then, you didn’t have a fantastic goddamn girlfriend at that time.
Screw flowers and chocolate, give me handcuffs, blindfolds, and various other adult-appropriate paraphernalia. Well, and maybe some chocolate, too.
That book is going to rule.
Thomas and I are, I *think* going to have dinner at the Very Special Restaurant, but that will be this weekend. We agreed no gifts, for a very smarmy reason that I won’t repeat for others to hear. Suffice to say that being happily married to a good guy makes the once-a-year prove-your-love-fest unnecessary.
Whether this is a bought and paid for holiday by American greetings and such doesn’t matter.
In a world where people who are married at times get less time together than people who are dating, it is nice to have a holiday that slows us down and allows us to say thanks to those we care most about.
And for all you cynics, Happy Valentine’s Day, and a Merry Christmas as well.
Merry Christmas to you too Jeffrey!
What in the living fuck is this “best of Valentine’s Day posts” post bullshit? That’s like when your mom skips your birthday because you got a SNES last year.
Rusty, you are too right… the stuff I got James, I got it for him because I wanted him to have it… this stupid “holiday” was just an excuse to spend more than I normally would.
And, to get bose headphones.
I want the Bose headphones. I know where you live.
That’s the thing Rusty. Avoid the industries that thrive off of Valentine’s Day. So instead of flowers, get a candle that smells like roses or a book of Monet paintings. Instead of buying something from Rusty Stover, get some chocolate liquor.
You could make a post concerning your alma mater’s unlikely rise to the top ten rankings in men’s NCAA basketball for me.
And to all, Shabbat Shalom!
Every time Lush mentions UT Men’s Basketball on a message board, Bruce Pearl gives him a nice reacharound.
Score 50 for Lush thus far this season.
Like Rusty said, Jeff, if you need to set aside a special day to go out, spend time looking deeply into each other’s eyes, give meaningless crap to each other that everyone else is giving then perhaps you need to rexamine your relationship. There’s nothing implicitly wrong with doing any of that, but the idea that one is being forced into it by societal convention is what me (and, I suspect, Rusty and Amber) object to.
That being said, I mailed my girlfriend a box containing 2 pounds of dried pinto beans, 40-odd DVD-Rs with movies, music and TeeVee, a decidedly sarcastic V-Day card and a bluetooth adapter for her iBook. Let’s hope that she stays regular while enjoying her Desperate Housewives and copying dirty pictures of me to her bluetooth enabled cell phone…