- Share This Post
- Pin It
- 0
- 0
-
Sparkle (0)
Lovers shmovers -- as much as I love my husband, I've never really gotten into the pinkness of Valentine's Day. It's not that I don't like the holiday, I just don't like the way the retail industry has been telling us to celebrate it. I'll never turn my nose up at chocolate, but I'm a little freaked out by those heart-shaped boxes filled with mystery truffles (yes, I am the person in the family who takes a nibble off each one to determine the internal flavour and then leaves them in the box).
I don't like receiving flowers for any occasion. I don't want to eat dinner in a crowded restaurant. I don't want to feel like there has to be champagne or sex or strawberries dipped in chocolate in order to feel like I did Valentine's Day "right."
In our house, we kick it old school, and when I say "old school," I mean that we still celebrate the holiday the way we did when we were kids. Before we were focused on finding Mr. or Ms. Right or stressed out about making dinner reservations. It's a grand excuse of a day to eat candy, but this is what I'm doing instead of dressing up and going out for the night with a few extra ideas that stress doing random acts of kindness... since isn't that what love is all about?
Valentines: you know those cards that come 24 to a box that you buy in any drugstore in America? The ones you sent to everyone in your class back when you were in elementary school? Take those and send them out to 24 friends. It will (1) make them laugh to see those tiny cards again and (2) reconnect you in a tangible way where Facebook and phone calls fail.
- Letters: and speaking of letters, take Valentine's Day to pick one random person you encounter on your daily errands and write their boss to tell them what a great job they do. I did this for Steve who brings the carts back to the food store from the parking lot, and his boss shared it with him. I got on his Christmas card list after that and he said that it made his day.
- Phone Calls: take Monday to call three people you've been meaning to talk to but keep running out of time each night. Those conversations are going to be a lot more meaningful and fulfilling in the long run than a dragged out dinner in a crowded restaurant. Order in and use the time you save to catch up with those friends and family members.
- Facebook: take a half hour to peruse your memory for old friends from the past and see if they're on Facebook. Use this day that is set aside to think about love to reconnect with a friendship that slipped away.
- Bake: instead of stressing about which goodies you'll receive, bake a big batch of cookies. You'll get to eat some yourself, and then you can give the rest away to friends or co-workers.
- Just Do It: did you know that this week -- the 14th until the 20th -- is Random Acts of Kindness week? There is an entire website dedicated to helping you find a way to make a small difference in another person's life.
So, if you also don't go the traditional route of dinner, champagne, and roses, how do you like to celebrate Valentine's Day?
Melissa writes Stirrup Queens and Lost and Found. Her novel about blogging is Life from Scratch.
