Every year I get this anti-Valentine’s Day vibe from posters across the internet. I think it is time we took the romance out of the holiday and made it strictly about love – love for family, love for pets, love for art, love for one another. Spend the day with the ones you love, or doing the things you love.
I’ve always adored Valentine’s Day because the association with flowers seems to be the first herald of spring. How can that be a bad thing?
Best wishes to all my Valentines!
Filed under Holidays
Given to my Great-aunt Adore, by my cousin Nancy Harbin, 1955. I was not even born yet!
Filed under Holidays
It looks like Political Correctness has raised its big ole hand and slapped St. Valentine across the mouth.
I had not planned on doing a Valentine’s Day post this year purely because the only image I had is the same one I’ve used for the past 3 years (see above). I mean it’s cute and all, but even I was ready to retire it.
Then, last night I was doing my usual mid-week blogfest. I was struck by a recurring theme in posts written on Valentine’s Day; many bloggers were actually apologizing about wishing their readers a Happy Valentine’s Day. It seems as if there have been quite a few bloggers who have criticized the holiday, saying it excludes those not in a romantic relationship. And so as to not offend, others give this “I know not everyone likes Valentine’s Day… but I do so please don’t think I’m a bad person” silliness.
So I guess all it takes is a few really cool bloggers to brand the holiday as old-fashioned and overly sentimental to make us rethink one of the bright spots in a long and dreary winter. Seriously, can a holiday that celebrates LOVE be bad?
Instead of looking at the corny, commericial and sentimental side of Valentine’s Day, why not celebrate Love? Not romantic love, but what you love. If you love animals, spend part of the day volunteering at your local animal shelter or rescue. Love your local museum? Spend part of the day there, knowing that your admission fee and the cash you spend in the gift store will help fund the thing you love. How about those wonderful grandparents of yours? Take them a box of chocolates. The possibilities are limited only by your own love.
I see this as a part of an even bigger problem. We are slowly but surely letting our holidays become so watered down that it is conceivable that in the not too distant future they will be like any other day. Take Halloween for instance. When I was a kid Halloween was a delightfully scary, but innocent day. Somewhere along the line people decided it was evil, and now groups don’t have Halloween carnivals – they have fall festivals.
And what about the homonigized Happy Holiday that used to be Hanukkah, Winter Solstice(!),Christmas, Kwanzaa, and New Years?
It just seems to me that we are starting to cheat ourselves of a lot of fun in the name of Political Correctness. You want to see how much fun Valentine’s Day was when I was a kid? Check out Kim’s post at The Girl Can’t Help It.
And I did find a couple more in my own pile of junk. The bottom one was sent from my cousin Nancy to my Aunt Adore in 1955!
Comments:
nice post. i’m really still not initiated into the blogging community to know what’s been happening. i guess being PC has to do with the bloggers’ readers? i don’t really feel anything at all about this holiday. Love Day is certainly inclusive for all. i added a wish for all on my blog; i’m single but i did want to wish those with mates a great valentine’s day. single people like me can choose to take offence if they so wish 😛
The Vintage Traveler 