Since childhood, Valentine’s Day has always been my favorite holiday. When I share this information, the most popular criticism I receive is, “It’s because you’re usually in a relationship.” Sure, since the age of 18, I’ve been in 2-3 relationships that lasted a cumulative ten years. Ironically, I chose men who didn’t share an inkling of my enthusiasm of red and pink candy and cheesy cards. I’ve managed to still carry on with my festivities with or without them. It was always a week of celebrating relationships with family and friends and spreading cheer. The last couple of years my enthusiasm for my favorite holiday started to die. I think intimately sharing a life with someone who couldn’t get behind a holiday that was invented by the greeting card industry finally took its toll.
This year I was going to take a break from my usual Valentine’s Day fanfare with intentions to throw heart-shaped confetti at my friends next year. Luckily for me, I have good friends who either share my past enthusiasm or play along for my enjoyment. Stephanie asked me to have a Valentine dinner with her on Friday and Anita came over last weekend and we crafted Valentine’s Day cards together. They inspired me to not completely ignore something I used to love. On that note, I am sharing my favorite Valentine memories.
♥ At my previous job, my coworkers knew my that it was my favorite holiday and that I have an obsession with chips. They taped bags of chips on my door and a computer print out of flowers.
♥ My brother and I had a Valentine Date at Build-A-Bear and crafted each other stuffed animals. I still sleep with the pink teddy bear he made me.
♥ My friend Thomas and I organized a card making party and made cards to personally deliver to the residents of a nursing home.
♥ Jennifer and I buying McDonalds for dinner and watching Love Actually. Our dessert was chocolate fondue.
♥ My high school made it mandatory that juniors and seniors left campus on Wednesdays to serve the community. One year Valentine’s Day fell on a Wednesday which was also the day the McDonalds on our street had 40 cent cheeseburgers. We were gifted candy from the school we were serving so my co-volunteers made Valentine’s Day lunches of cheeseburgers, fries, and candy for the homeless panhandlers.
♥ Instagramming Bob last year.
♥ I used to work in the medical field. We had a patient who liked to doodle on his urine sample cups. He brought in a red marker and drew hearts on his cup. I know this is gross but I find it kind of a funny memory.
♥ Wrapping presents to send in the mail for my parents and gal pals.
♥ Making Valentine’s Day cookies with a roommate and inadvertently using wax paper instead of parchment paper causing our apartment to smoke up and our heart-shaped cookies turn into broken heart cookies.
♥ The Valentine Week on Totes Awesome Channel where we were actually in the same city.
Okay this trip down memory lane is pulling me out of the Valentine funk. I hope if you’re feeling grumpy about this holiday that you are reminded that there are people around you who love you.