Ahh, V-day! Vagina Day to some, Valentine’s Day to us all! I know a lot of people out there hate this holiday. They say it was invented by Hallmark just to make those of us without significant others on this special day feel shitty about ourselves, and they get all surly and angry and say nasty things to me about it. And part of me sympathizes; I mean, it is rather a bullshit holiday as far as tradition and underlying reasons go. I won’t deny that it’s ridiculously commercial and overdone.
But I personally love Valentine’s Day. Not just because I happen to be lucky enough this year to have two lovers in my life who I care for deeply and who I can share special moments with, but because it’s the day after my birthday, and when Valentine’s Day rolls around I’m always still basking in the glow of my birthday celebrations. Or the hangover. Or both, as this year would have it.
Today I’m nursing a pot of coffee and planning a scrumptious meal for my girlfriend tonight, and musing on how much I don’t want to run into any of those Valentine’s Day Scrooges today. And my own personal reasons aside, I think I’m in the right wanting everyone to have a splendid, love-filled holiday. Because, you know, Valentine’s Day should be about celebrating ALL the love in your life, not just the love that your boyfriend or girlfriend or husband or wife shares with you, but also the love of your friends, your family, your pets, and most importantly, yourself. I’ve always seen this day as an opportunity to send someone flowers or chocolates or sappy cards; even if you just send treats to yourself to remind yourself how awesome you are, or if you send stupid elementary-school cards to everyone you know reminding them how great it is to have them in your life, it’s an opportunity to celebrate love itself, which is a great thing, whether or not you’re in the middle of a passionate love affair!
My recommendations for those of you who are single and getting bah-humbug-y about the day are twofold, depending on what your personality is like:
1) Spend a special, sexy night in with yourself! This can go any number of ways for different types of people, but I think it’s perfectly romantic to spend an evening with yourself, being pampered and loving yourself right. Get some candles, some sexy music, maybe a bubble bath, some chocolates. Pop in your favorite movie and indulge, or your favorite porno and your favorite sex toys, and love yourself, baby. Cause you deserve it, and nobody knows how to hit all your sweet spots like you do, baby! Spend a whole night loving your body and forgetting about all the cares of the world! It’s an old adage, but it’s true: if you don’t love yourself first, nobody else will! So love thyself, sex kitten, and do it allll night long.
2) If the idea of staying home alone on Valentine’s Day makes you feel awful, don’t do it! Go out and get a drink! Keep your options open and expectations low, but at least go out and give yourself an opportunity to meet someone and find at least one night’s worth of love. There are a TON of people alone on Valentine’s Day, and the more adventurous ones will be out and about hoping to make the day special; maybe you’ll find someone super cool to share the evening with! And even if you don’t find a love connection, you can VERY easily find someone else who’s bah-humbug-y about the special day and share a few bitter laughs over a brew together. Who knows, romance can blossom even in bitter Pale Ale!
Just enjoy it, peeps. Love it and yourself and whoever you find yourself with!
>Amen. If we're hating on Valentine's day, why aren't we hating on birthdays? Thanksgiving? Christmas? Anniversaries? We do these things, have these celebrations, because it's a chance to go above and beyond. Do my friends know I love them? Yes. Do they appreciate the card, the time I took to sit down and write it out? I think they do.
There's nothing wrong with picking a day to show a little extra love. Especially since hell…. love is fun!