Valentines Day: Love or Hate?

I don't know about you, but I have a love/hate relationship with Valentines Day. The cynic in me wants to complain about the commercialization and evolved materialism of the holiday, yet the hopeless romantic in me cherishes a day completely devoted to the celebration of love.

Let's weigh my list of Cons:

• It sucks to be dumped right before Valentines Day. Let's just put salt in the wound, shall we?
• Guys and girls (but especially the guys) feel a fair amount of pressure to convey their love in an extravagant (and often material) way that often sucks all the fun right out of the holiday.
• The agony of anticipation. The "will they/won't they?" remember factor. Last week, I actually started getting grumpy in anticipation of Valentines Day. My mind had determined that Jon wasn't going to do anything for me for to acknowledge the holiday. {Please tell me I am not the only gal out there who sometimes let's these female emotions run away with her mind. I'm glad I can retrospectively chuckle at how lame I am sometimes.}
• Traffic everywhere. No reservation? Forget going out unless you love long lines and waiting with an empty stomach.
• Let's be honest, I think we can all relate to Pam's character in the Office as she earnestly waited for a Valentines Day sentiment from her fiance all day. While no gift for her arrived, she had to deliver an entire flower garden along with every cliche Valentines gift under the sun to Phyllis.
• The occasional gender-related paradigm clash regarding the "perfect gift." Jon's level-headed pragmatism is definitely one of his most attractive qualities. However, the stubborn romantic in me doesn't always appreciate "practical" gifts as much as I should. Case in point: For our first anniversary, he gave me a new pair of running shoes. On the other hand, Jon likely views my overt romanticism as silly. He probably would laugh if he knew I spend at least twenty minutes pouring over the "perfectly worded" card for any holiday. To him, it's just another card that will likely get tossed in the trash within two weeks.

On to the Pros:

• There's usually CHOCOLATE involved. Need I say more?
• On that note, there's typically a pretty delicious meal involved, if you're lucky. {Can you tell I'm hungry?}
• If you're a V-day hater that year, you can kick it with other like-minded friends and have a pretty good time.
• If you're feeling really pouty, it's an opportunity to unfold your most cozy blanket, slip into your frumpy pjs, grab a flavor of Haagen Daaz to satisfy your craving, and curl up in front of your favorite chick flick.
• If you're married, it's a great way to force yourselves to do more than sit in front of the tv and veg for the evening. It gives a set date to remind you that you're lucky to be loved.
• Gives you a chance to shift your perspective and learn to appreciate your differing perspectives on "the perfect gift." In the end, I've learned to appreciate the shoes (and future practical gifts) for the heartfelt gesture they really are. I've also noticed that Jon saves most of the cards that I give him now. It's a beautiful blend of meeting in the middle.
• You get to spend the day with the one who you love.

Case in point: This Valentines Day. We slept in, exchanged gifts, and had a wonderful evening. We had our second annual Valentines Day home-cooked meal at the Walkers. Kevin and I collaborated on a yummy meal and it turned out delicious. We watched Couples Retreat and spent the rest of the night playing old school Mario on the Wii. It was low-key and relaxing.

2nd Annual Valentines Meal with the Walkers

Me making the veggie skewers

Our finished V-day dish

Kevin and Michelle

Jons and Me

So, what's your final verdict about Valentines Day?

Love or Hate? I'm stickin' with LOVE!

{P.S. If anyone is interested, Jon made me this video for V-day. He wanted to make it since we didn't do a wedding video. I think it's pretty cute, but I'm probably a little biased. The last two minutes are especially fun.}