In Which I Roll My Eyes at Cupid

Robbo beat me to the punch, but I'm another firmly in the camp of "show me you love me year round, not just when Hallmark tells you to." Usually I do manage to snag a box of Cadbury Creme Eggs for Tim in advance of Valentine's Day (I mean, really, if they're going to have the Easter candy out already, he might as well be able to enjoy it) and that stands as his special gift. He usually brings a card (or makes one when he rushes downstairs after work having only remembered the date on the way home), but really, it's more for form so he can tell people he did something. I don't frankly care one way or the other - I know he loves me, he shows me that multiple times a day in a thousand little ways. I hope that I do the same for him (I certainly try to).

And so, in the spirit of not poking the eye of the Valentine's nuts, I had planned to just let the day go unmarked on the ol' blog, until I logged into Facebook this morning to find one of our good friends'...rants. He said, essentially, that the men should all be buying gifts to show their love and that if the ladies weren't being showered with gifts throughout the year as well as on Valentine's, then they needed to kick some butt. It really rubbed me the wrong way.

I think, to some extent, it's because it was so very focused on buying over the top gifts to show love. All I could think was that money can't buy love. Now, maybe that's because my love language is not receiving gifts. Sure, I like a surprise gift now and then, and if Tim's love language was giving gifts I hope that I would be able to see them for the expression that they were. (And really, if you want to buy me a gift, get me a book and I'll know you not only love me, but you know me.) But I'll take time spent with me holding hands over flowers and candy any day of the year, most especially on Valentine's day.

And I guess that's why I get annoyed at the Valentine's day hype. Cause it's not just about showing the people you love and care about that you love and care about them. It's become specifically about spending a hoop of cash on flowers, jewelry, and chocolate, as if only those three things are worthy to be considered an expression of devotion.