Ask the Readers: Is Valentine's Day Too Commercial? (Chance to win $20!)
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- Comment #7: icky - Submitted by MAJ on February 9, 2010 - 13:46. Like most every other nice, genuine thing in American culture, we have over-hyped and over commercialized valentines day into utter retail submission. time for it to go away.
Regardless of whether you're madly in love, or bitter about the past, Valentine's Day has gotten to be a big deal -- especially for the companies that sell little chocolates and heart-shaped jewelry. While most people rejoice in the opportunity to get some special attention on the holiday (especially after married life and kids has started to take toll), others are burnt out by the consumer message of "buy this" and feel like it's just another excuse to buy, buy, buy.
Where do you stand on the V-day debate? Are you just happy to finally get a chance to do something sweet? Do you already spend enough time with your significant other (and therefore don't need a "holiday" to enforce it)? Or are you fed up with the whole thing (broken hearts aside -- it's just a reason to feed the machine)?
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Yep, my husband and I have banned all vday presents from the house. It is just a commercial holiday!
definitely overcommercialized
1. love is more meaningful than the material things people buy
2. every day should be cherished as a special day, and there should not be a set day to celebrate love.
Yeah, I don't like it. It's way overdone. Just an excuse to sell a lot of junk.
Yes, it's gotten way too commercial.
all the advertisements for jewelry, flowers, and waxy chocolates just seem to cheapen the occasion.
i'm tired of feeling pressured to buy crap for someone based on a calendar day.
when are we going to have to start buying president's day gifts for each other?
Yes, it is commercial, but that doesn't mean I have to fall (as in, pay for) for all the hype. We make each otehr's gifts, which allows us to remember to show our appreciation for each other without breaking the bank.
like most every other nice, genuine thing in American culture, we have over-hyped and over commercialized valentines day into utter retail submission.
time for it to go away.
Wouldn't say so. So whats wrong in taking some time off, a planning special evening, with personalized gifts. I mean sure, "every day should be cherished as a special day", but how many of us actually follow through on that. A bit of reminding, even if by people looking to make a profit, would not hurt.
YES, it's too commercialized! I would rather be shown love in small ways 365 days a year than one big, overdone, impersonal show of roses, chocolate, teddy-bear-holding-a-heart, and dinner on one day, just because Hallmark and Godiva say that's the day that matters. Valentine's Day is any other day for me, whether I'm single or in a relationship.
As a former Bartender at High End Restaurants, I was able to see just how miserable the commercialization of Valentines Day makes it for Singles and Couples alike. Over Priced Prix Fixe meals, impossible seating times, stressed out couples with overly high expectations, miserable Waiters/ Waitresses who are single and having their faces rubbed in it, miserable singles at the bar getting drunk and hoping desperately to get lucky.....But most of all, we are beholden to the tacky Jared/ Zales/ Kay Jeweler Spots on TV every 15 seconds with their twisted view of reality....It's a manufactured Day of Commercialism and Money not Love, and it ends up more in tears than joy for most.
Valentine's Day is commercial but so what! Every day is what you make of it. Setting a side a day to let your loved ones know that you love them is great. You do not have to spend a ton of money on Valentine's Day; make it your own but do not let it be the only day that you let your loved ones know that you love them.
It is very commercial, but at the same time it reminds us to do something special for the ones we love. Therefore, while annoying, I sort of like it anyway.
This year I'm paying my fiancee's ticket/travel costs to a convention. Not all that exciting, but definitely meaningful to him. :)
We don't celebrate Valentine's day. The traditional gifts, chocolate, jewelry, and other assorted stuff, are all opposed to what we're trying to do in our home, with diets and decluttering in full swing.
The spouse and my dating anniversary falls on the 16th of February, so we choose to celebrate that event with an extra nice meal.
I like having a special day devoted to love, but the whole thing is way to commercial. If you overlook that, its a fun way to get creative with all your friends on the same day. That way we all share love together and have fun, which is possible throughout the year, but some people are so busy and need the holiday ;)
Valentine's Day is way too commercial. It shouldn't take an overpriced Valentine's Day gift to show your sig other you love them.
Valentine's Day is slightly commercialized, but not nearly as commercialized as Christmas. People don't feel obligated to participate when they don't have a significant other. In other words, most people don't buy V-Day gifts for friends, parents, siblings, etc. -- just boyfriends, girlfriends, spouses. Many of the traditional V-Day gifts have become cliche, such as a dozen red roses or a box of chocolates. If you can be creative and do something outside the box, then you will stand out from the crowd and be that much more special to your significant other.
Yes, but so is every other Holiday. Really doesn't bother me too much besides that one diamond commercial with the guy and girl trapped in the cabin. :)
I find it far too commercial, and my boyfriend and I don't celebrate it. This year I did get suckered in by the perfect card that caught my eye at Target and bought it for my boyfriend in mid-January just because I knew he would love the card.
I do think that Valentine's Day is too commercial. There is no reason why people should feel heartbroken or lonely for not having a sweetheart on this one day that has been nearly universally deemed as "a day for love". Particular days should be uniquely significant to different couples based on their history together.
Yes, it's over commercialized, but that doesn't mean that you can't or shouldn't celebrate it.
Personally, it's not a big deal to me. I do think it's more important to treasure your loved ones throughout the year. Celebrating my wedding anniversary is way more important to me.
That said, it's nice to have reasons to do things a little more "special" on occasion. Dh and I are planning on making a special meal at home and staying in. There won't be presents, but the menu will have an ingredient that we don't typically buy (as a treat.)
Plus, if it weren't for Valentine's Day I might never have a reason to use all the heart cookie cutters I inherited!
Does it matter?
If you are a guy you will buy the flowers, buy the dinner, buy the candy and buy the gift. Why? Because you want to stay out of the doghouse and because you'd hopefully like to partake in some nocturnal recreational activities.
If you fail to do these things, not only will said recreation not be available for weeks, but you will also be guaranteed a long argument about how cheap you are, how you don't love her, what an awful person you are, and then the obligatory reminding you of every single bad thing you've ever done. Yelling will most definitely be involved; crying and breakups may also occur.
You shouldn't need a special holiday to show your love for your significant other - if that's the case, then therapy is the ideal gift!
But seriously, even if you and your SO agree that V-Day is too commercial, you STILL end up feeling compelled to do something to recognize it. It's a mental trap.
I don't think Valentine's is too commercial in our household, but I can look out at what the rest of society does and think it's ridiculous. We normally take the time to appreciate each other's company (this is surprisingly difficult with laptop/iphone/etc distractions). Make some homemade food, some homemade valentine cards. Last year I made his card and and cut it up into puzzle pieces that he had to reassemble.
It is way too commercialized, just like every other holiday, but I really do enjoy it, and I look forward to it. We just look for cheap alternatives, such as homemade crafts, sweets, et cetera.
I liked making valentines in elementary school and having fun candygrams, etc. However, now people make way too big a deal out of the day. Everything seems a little cliche, and too many people end up disappointed or upset that their significant other didn't do enough or something. I'm personally staying in, not buying anything valentine-related, and ignoring the occasion. I don't dislike Valentine's Day, but it's overdone in today's society. And I already tell the people I love that I love them on ordinary days.
Yes, it's way too commercial! I'd rather just have my boyfriend tell me that he loves me than have him waste $20 or more on gifts and flowers.
I inconsistently ignore the whole thing yet everyone I know complains their head off about Valentine Day's overly corporate nature.
I'd have to agree: to the degree that anyone pays attention to it I imagine it's very difficult to avoid some sort of consumeristic insecurity.
As the busy parents of a toddler (and 3 dogs and 2 cats) and full time working professionals (with side gigs), I welcome a society sanctioned, scheduled day for us to give our thanks for each other (in the form of gifts, and snuggles) and go on a date. Sure we COULD do it just any old day... but we don't!
I look at it as a day to spoil my baby boy rotten and celebrate our love for each other. No restaurants. No expensive gifts. But I do always pick up his favorite bon bons at Godiva and a little bubbly.
Boring maybe, but it's one ritual I look forward to.
It may be, but it's not going anywhere- so why not embrace it and make it your own.
Make a homemade card and spend one day of the year showing/teling people how much you love them?
That being said, I'd probably gag and blush at the same time if someone bought me a heart-shaped box of chocolates.
Popular belief to the contrary, Valentine's Day was not invented by Hallmark. Whether one chooses to celebrate it by spending a quiet evening at home with your loved one or out having an expensive dinner topped off with a diamond, to each their own. No one is forcing us to buy the items being advertised and opting out of the commercial part of the day doesn't mean having to turn your back on the day altogether.
I'm single and sure, Valentine's Day is tough for some singles, but then so are a lot of other days, if you choose to let them be.
Too commercial? That completely subjective. I vote no!
Yup. Yup it is.
I like the idea of focusing on love for a day but not the commercial aspect. Simple is better. A short love note would mean much more to me than stuff. The ads on TV and radio will have you think that everyone is buying roses, jewelry, etc! That reminds me...I want to suggest to my husband to not buy any overpriced roses. (-:
Love doesn't need diamonds, expensive flowers, or any of the other things I've seen advertised heavily to make it special. I use it as an excuse to get something really great for my guy that I wouldn't normally get but we have Valentine's day every day when we touch, hold hands, hug or just smile when we see each other. It hasn't gotten old even after 2 years as friends and then as lovers and that's the reason why.
Yes, Valentine's Day is too commercial. Yes, we should all show the ones we love how we feel about them every day of the year. But some people need the extra push to be open with the ones that mean the most to them. So if this holiday motivates some declaration of honest sentiment in someone's life, then that is a good thing. After all sometimes the Christmas spirit gets lost in the pressure to purchase the right gift, but it's important just the same. Ditto for Valentine's Day.
My boyfriend and I don't celebrate Valentine's Day by mutual agreement, but my female friends from college and I celebrate our own tradition, Feb 15th is cheap chocolate day!
All right, if we're going to talk about holidays and commercialism, let's start with Black Friday and Buy Nothing Day.
The Friday after Thanksgiving you can choose to overindulge in things that might make you feel good or things you hope will make people you care about feel good. It's the definition of over commercialized, but a well thought out gift purchased on that day can have its desired effect if you don't lose your head to absolute nonsense purchases. One red rose, or a small box of chocolates, and a slightly luxurious homemade meal can mean a lot to someone on Valentine's Day.
You can also choose to celebrate Buy Nothing Day the Friday after Thanksgiving and emphasize the fact that you don't need things to be happy and you are not someone whose head is easily turned by advertisements. But, this should not be a one day event; it's a commitment or your participation was meaningless and hypocritical. Saying "we celebrate our love every day of the year" is an absolutely wonderful sentiment, but it is a commitment, not a phrase to say to save money on gifts or to feel morally superior for ignoring one holiday.
As someone who is not married nor dating anyone, I'm never thrilled with another day on which I'm reminded that I'm not married nor dating anyone and, according to much of the general population, I'm a poorer person for it.
That said, my mom still sends me a box with little toys and either candy or a gift card to Target (so I can shop for my own candy the day after Valentines and get twice as much!), my nephews send me cards with silly pictures they've drawn and there's usually leftover (or bought at half price) cupcakes or cookies at work the a day or two later. So, yeah, I take advantage of the overcommercialization of a holiday that I don't particularly enjoy but I do make the best of it.
Valentines' Day need not be too commercial, but it can easily get out of hand. We don't exchange gifts, but we do spend time together to celebrate!
It is definitely way too commercial. Just like every other holiday in America. It's all about money.
My husband and I do special things for each other all year. Little things that wouldn't mean anything to someone else, but mean a lot to us. He is my best friend and the love of my life and I try to show him that every day.
I personally don't need flowers, candy, jewelry etc. to know he loves me. Those things are nice, but not worth spending money you don't have. Too much pressure is put on people to buy all these things to prove their love. Find some creative, frugal ways to show your love. And not just one day a year.
Valoween is just a way for flower, chocolate, and card companies to make more money and for people who don't already express their love for each other to do so through gifts that won't last that long anyway. Despite this, I still celebrate Half Price Chocolate Day on the 15th.
Retailers overhype it a bit, but I see it as a day to just let your loved ones know you care. It doesn't have to be with big expensive things. A simple phone call, card, or nice word is fine too. My husband and I might go out to dinner or just order in some pizza and play board games. We don't make a HUGE deal out of it, but it's nice that there's a day where you can just make a point of telling people you love and appreciate them (yes, I know, this should be EVERY day!). And I do spoil my other Valentine, my Jack Russell terrier, on V-Day with a new treat or toy. :)
All the holidays seem an excuse for peddling more wares. But not really even liking diamonds lol - Hubby & I have settled into more heartwarming gifts. I want to make something this year, as finances are very limited - but a chocolate bar or so would be nice in the mix, too....
I don't like Valentine's Day. My husband and I have gone out to dinner a few times, but it just costs more, the food is poor quality, and the traffic is horrendous. I'd much rather focus on our anniversaries (dating and wedding), because we share those days with each other rather than the rest of the world.
yes it is! The plan this year to have a picnic in the living room, with no gifts allowed!
If I need a special day for my wife to know how much I love her, then I am really dropping the ball the other 364 days of the year...
My husband feels that Valentine's Day is just another "Hallmark Holiday." He also feels that way about Mother's Day. Since I'm not his mother, I let that one slide. And some years I let V-Day slide, too. Other years, like this one, when I'm feeling a little bit taken for granted, I loudly announce that I expect either a dinner out or a plant for Valentine's Day. And he complies without further comment. My husband's a keeper, even if I don't always get the romantic holiday stuff.
I agree that Valentine's Day has gotten way too commercial but my boyfriend and I still like to do something for each other during this time of the year. Instead of buying each other gifts, we make each other cards. Eat that Hallmark! ;)
I don't need an excuse to do something special for my sweetie, but it's nice that there is a day recognizing the beauty of romance. However, it seems that people have been sucked into the stereotypical roses-candlelight-dinner trap. It's not really that special if it is done out of obligation. I think that's where the commercialization comes into it.
As for me, my fiance and I keep it simple. A heartfelt note and a "Happy Valentine's Day" seems about right for us.
On one hand, it is- because I get tired of seeing so many commercials for cheap, unattractive, mass produced jewelry. On the other hand, my husband and I never do anything for it, so maybe all that advertising hasn't sunk in enough.
I think so. I don't like the stuffed animals and tacky knick-knacks that come wiht this "holiday".
Yes, Valentine's Day is getting out of hand. My husband and I do exchange cards but no gifts. Plus I read a lot of blogs and it seems like everyone uses the holiday for posting inspiration. It gets tiring.
V-day is way overmarketed and holds very little value for my fiancee and I. We are madly in love, but we could care less about funnelling money into someone else's excuse of a pocket. We try to show each other every day, in small and big ways, that we care about the other and refuse to let a marketing ploy rob us of funds we can use for our WEDDING! :)
Yes it is way over commercialized. They start putting out the candy, bears and jewelry right after Christmas. You can always tell the day the stores goes pink, the guys freak out. Relationships should not be like that. Plus who wants to go out on that day anyway and have to wait a hour to have a romantic dinner with 100's of other people!
I think most holidays are too commercial, but Valentine's Day is one of the most commercial. From grade-school valentine exchanges to the restaurant dinners, flowers, chocolates and jewelry, Valentine's Day is big business. I don't appreciate the pressure to make a declaration of affection on a specific day, or to be expected to spend money to do so. I think day to day thoughtfulness and support say "I love you" better than anything else. Valentine's Day is just not that important in our family and I think my husband appreciates that.
I think Valentine's Day is nice and it doesn't have to be expensive!
absolutely. that is why the most I will spend is a $10 bottle wine, a nice dinner at home (which would probably have happened anyways) and a movie on the couch.
I like Valentine's Day -- partially because I have fond memories of the way we celebrated it when I was a child. We treated it as a day to celebrate love as a family, not a romantic type thing at all. Usually our celebration was to declare it a special "family night" with a special dinner, decorations, games, and so on. I'm trying to continue the tradition with my own family -- so far we haven't done any decorating, but I always plan a special dinner and usually there are some fresh flowers or cute little notes somewhere in the picture. Now that we are expanding our family to include children, I expect the celebration will get more elaborate. I find the commercialization of all holidays to be a little strange and unappealing, but I'm not going to let it ruin my fun.
I like Valentine's Day, but not the marketing gumpf that surrounds it. (Fortunately, I'm rarely in supermarkets or shopping malls, so I don't get bombarded.)
I love that there's a day in the year that's just for romance, and have a secret yearning for red roses. Having said that, I would never eat out on Valentine's day or expect a gift or a card. My boyfriend and I tend to cook a lovely dinner together and drink champagne. Maybe I'll word him up about the roses.
I think Valentine's day is way too commercialized. It has just become a huge money-maker for a lot of companies and that's really not what it should be about. I don't think there should be just one day to show someone else that you love/care about them...that should be a daily thing
I think it is too commercial. I prefer homemade gifts that take some thought and time.
My girlfriend and I don't celebrate V-day at all, we both believe its just turned into a greeting card holiday.
Yes it is. A good excuse for chocolate makers to sell old stock in heart shaped boxes.
Yes and No
Let me explain. Yes, of course it's overdone and too commercial.
However, if it makes you take the time to do something special for your loved one... prepare a special meal, spend some extra time, take a trip, etc. it is worth it. We all go too fast in life and sometimes take our loved ones for granted, if this holiday makes you slow down and really appreciate your honey, I'm all for it!
My husband and I already have a "romantic" holiday--our anniversary. I don't understand why people would want to make such a big deal out of celebrating a random day that's shared by everyone, rather than commemorating a day that's special to just the two of you.
It sort of makes me think of the self-help idea that you can't control what other people say or do, only how you react. If you think Valentine's Day is too commercial, make a scratch paper Valentine and give the gift of a passionate kiss. Or skip it all together.
Personally, I can do without the lingerie but I'll take chocolates or flowers from darn near anyone!
Really, Valentine's Day is nothing BUT commercial. I get so sick of seeing the stores full of red and pink junk! I *do* like the chance to do fun things with my husband, but I'd rather not do them the same day as everybody else, you know?
Valentine's Day becomes a woman's personal Christmas or another stressful holiday for a man or couple if you let it. There are tons of ways people try to get you to spend your money all year long, and this is just another one of those "excuses." I saw ad after ad after ad on TVs and beer and party foods and things like that for the Super Bowl.
In my house, we try to avoid advertising as much as possible. This is made much easier with our DVR. And this way, we CHOOSE what we want to spend our money and our time on without *too much* influence from advertisers pushing a product. We can look at our budget and say, "We have x dollars to spend on Valentine's Day (or any other holiday). What should we do?" We celebrate our love all year long, so this is just another nice day to do it (and to express our love again to our parents).
I think it is a nice "reminder" to appreciate your loved one, but it has seriously become too commercial-y. If I had it my way, I would change the day into all-those-who-I-love day and just get a bunch of friends/family together!
If Valentine's Day had a grinch what would it look like?
Come on guys, what's not fun about hearts and candy? Valentine's day is not an obligation. Lighten up.
Way too commercial. Love should be shown everyday, not just once a year.
I love the idea of Valentine's Day but don't think you have to spend a ton of money to show how much you care. It's nice to spend a quiet night inside eating dinner together. You can spend a ton of money on roses and candy or you can just spend the time together.
Not just Valentine's Day but everything in this society has become too commercial. I'm tired of advertising popping up anywhere and everywhere. Lucky for me though, I get year-round romance and don't feel the need for anything special on Valentine's day.
Nowadays Valentine's Day is mostly about selling stuff.
The Simpsons captured this perfectly in 200th episode, when greeting card companies invented a fictional Love Day to help sell cards.
http://www.snpp.com/episodes/5F09
Quote:
########
Act one. In a skyscraper, a man in a business suit delivers the state of financial affairs for his company. Someone in the room coughs. His presentation is not very well-received, and he is promptly carted off by security at the nod of a cigar-smoking business leader, who closes the blinds and addresses his eight underlings.
Manager: Okay, people. We need to cook up a new holiday for the summer. Something with, eh, gifts, cards, assorted gougeables.
########
End Quote.
Well, of course. Who would want VD? Now Valentine's Day, on the other hand...
Who cares about commercial programming? I don't give it a thought. Valentine's Day is a fun and sweet way just to break out of the every day routine. No, I don't need a holiday to tell my family I love them, but I LIKE making homemade cookies in heart shapes and such things. My sister once painted a box full of miniature masterpieces in food coloring on white frosting for me. I wish I had saved one of those very special Valentines!
The Valentines Day party was a highight of my elementary school life, and my children's too. There is a little social pressure in elementary school, as everyone knows a Valentine goes better with a little candy stuck to it. We live, and lived, in the kind of places where all the kids got a Valentine from everyone else, so we don't associate the holiday with loneliness or tears, or pressure to perform. I'm sorry if that's how the day has worked out for you.
As a kid, I loved making the Valentine cards with doilies and glitter and all manner of things stuck to them. I think I'd still like making them, but I never get that done anymore!
I happen to love the tacky stuffed animals which play a silly song when you press their hand. It is a fun occasion to give a silly love gift to my nearly grown-up boys, my even more grown up daughter, and my serious engineer husband.
I do have an arrangement with my husband not to ever buy me expensive jewelry (any jewelry at all, really), or expensive flowers. I would rather save up for something good in the future. I just lose the jewelry anyway!
So lighten up, all you Debbie Downers and Bobby Buzz Kills. Have a little fun with the special people in your life.
Next holiday, St. Patty's Day. I already have the sugar cubes for making Blarney Castles, and I found the little footprint punch for leprechaun footprints in the morning. I know it's dumb, but so what? Life is fun and sweet, and not a waste of money.
I think it is waaaaay to commercialized. My husband and I decided we are not allowed to buy each other anything for Valentine's day. Instead, we make something for each other that does not cost anything additional to what we already have. I am making him a bag of decorated sugar cookies and he will probably make me a card. It requires us to spend some time and thought on each other. Besides, I try to eat chocolate 365 days a year already!!!!!!
But I like to make presents to my darling wife, so it is just another reason to do it!
But it is what you make of it - we'll still do something special here.
It is absolutely too commercial - just as Christmas has gotten to be too commercial. Everyone needs a little reminder to do something nice for people. but the best gifts are thought out and need not cost anything at all. A homemade valentine telling someone how much they mean to you is so special! Cleaning and vacuuming the car for your sweetie is great. Little things, thoughtful things, are more special any day.
Overall, I think that it has become a bit too commercial. I went over some of my thoughts and ideas here: http://thestudentslife.wordpress.com/2010/02/10/valentines-day-the-good-....
Valentine's Day is way to commercial... my girlfriend and I deliberately avoid it. Besides being commercial, V-Day has a certain obligatoryness to it--e.g. the guy HAS to buy flowers, and he HAS to buy a card, and he HAS to take her out for a nice dinner, and he HAS to get chocolates, etc... I do all those things and more on a regular basis for my sweetheart, but not because I have to. I do them because I want to. Obligatoryness is not romantic; doing things when you don't have to but still want to anyway is. That's why we skip V-Day.
We don't have the money for extras here, and it's made for some very interesting gifts for little holidays. Homemade rocks!
Please advise on how one makes homemade rocks. I must know!
I think it's too commercial, but then you don't have to participate if you don't want to. I also think everything is slanted to what to give the female. I guess I have no imagination, because even if I wanted to, I can never come up with something to give my husband. What, boxer shorts with hearts on them? Give me a break.
When I was younger I worked as a florist for 7 years and have interesting (?) memories of having to be at work for 4:30 in the morning on Valentine's to get the orders out and selling roses to VERY stressed out men for 12 hours. When my husband and I were dating I told him never to buy me roses on Valentine's Day. Yes Valentine's Day is very commercial but that doesn't mean you have to buy anything. I enjoy the decorations in stores, I look at the jewelry you can buy and we celebrate at home by making a special meal. The kids use to make Valentine cards for all their classmates on the computer (label sized and they would tape a foil chocolate to them) and we would decorate the house by taping hearts on the windows. If you are into crafting Valentine's day is a hoot.
Yes, it is, but it can still be fun, especially for kids. My husband and I don't do anything for it. But our kids love making their own cards for family and handing out cards they buy at class parties. The big boxes of little cards are very inexpensive - we even found some this year that have seeds inbedded in them so they can be planted! And I don't mind finding fun, inexpensive things for the class parties. It's gotten too commercial, but you don't have to buy into that to still enjoy it.
YES. I've never been a fan of valentine's day - it has always seemed like just another excuse for spending money, and it makes some folks who don't have a significant other feel pretty crappy and alone.
Yes, it is waaayyyy too commercial.
Get her a home made, heartfelt gift and it will go much further than the hundreds of dollars you might be tempted to drop on her
But that doesn't mean you have to follow the norm and buy expensive gifts that you don't need. You can celebrate simply. I love the fact that there is a day set aside to remind us of what is important--love for one another. You don't have to spend anything to remind the one you love you care. What I don't appreciate is the way that the Valentine's "crap" comes out the day after New Year's, if retailers wait that long. There is so much junk out there, none of which is necessary to celebrate love. I buy my sweet hubby a card, although some years we make them, and then we have heart-shaped homemade pizza for dinner. A lovely celebration together!
I'd much rather forget Valentine's Day than to expect my husband and I to aimlessly search for the "perfect" gift for each other. Our special day is our wedding anniversary, and I'd much rather celebrate our love on that day only....a day WE chose, not a day that someone else chose for us. Thank you.
February 14th is a wonderful day to overpay for meals, flowers and other "obligatory" gifts. Yet being a card-carrying bargain hunter who also loves her husband, we choose to zig while the rest of the world zags. No marked-up flowers - we save them for a random Tuesday in winter. If we're going to celebrate our happy marriage, we'll go out to dinner on February 13th or 15th when the restaurants aren't crowded and the prices have gone back to normal. If you love your husband or wife, don't celebrate with ephemeral items -- give each other homemade gifts (baked goods, massages) or stash away the $100 you might have spent on corny V's Day gifts in your savings account or retirement account and watch it grow...just like your relationship will hopefully grow in depth over the years.
I think that, for most people, Valentine's day is highly commercial. However my husband and I go 100% homemade (handwritten haiku, favourite foods for dinner) and we love it. It's all in your approach.
Is it too commercial? Yes, but as an old school frugalista, I used vday to our advantage. My then fiancee and I had four children, one mortgage and a school loan to pay so when we were planning on getting married we chose February 15. That day happened to fall on a Sunday and with most of our friends attending our church, we were able to have a ceremony and cake / coffee / punch reception immediately following service. Additionally, the night before, my mother and BFF and I ran down to the grocery store where all of the vday flowers etc were already 50% off. With a little creativity we created my bouquet, my matron of honor's bouquet and one for each or our daughters. The groom, his best man and my two sons got buttoneers and we had enough to make coursages for my mom and my former mother-in-law (we put the fun in dysfunciton). The church was decorated with half priced vday items and we even got the Valentine's day special at a local hotel for half price!
Despite Valentine's day going commercial, it can serve as a reminder to make sure those you love know it. It also serves as a reminder for DH that our anniversary is coming up!!
Utterly overhyped and way too commercial. When did you have to spend $$$ just to tell someone you loved them? The only good thing about Valentine's Day is this year it falls on the weekend, so you have lots of time to spend together.
I think most holidays ARE comercial... Period.
Yes; my husband and I will only exchange cards. We love each other every day, and don't need to set aside a day to express it. Besides, he is very romantic all the time. Also, it's not a nice day for the un-attached.
Definately commercialezed just like the other holidays. I do not need a gift from hubby to know that he loves me. :) I will get the kiddos something small though...
It's always how you for yourself decide to celebrate it.
A romantic home-made dinner, followed by playing some romantic songs on the guitar just for her and that's it.
Yes it's way too commercial, but it's still fun and doesn't have to be expensive. I make heart shaped biscuits or pancakes for the family and we enjoy our little chocolate treats.
Yes it's way too commercial, but it's still fun and doesn't have to be expensive. I make heart shaped biscuits or pancakes for the family and we enjoy our little chocolate treats.