Thanks to Nobleworks for their nasty selection!
Another randy Pagan holiday hijacked by Christianity but I don’t mind the little cards and candy. If the Romans failed to invent this, I’m sure the marketing behemoth in the modern Western Empire would create something to make everybody spend money since the gap between Christmas and Easter is too long.
I’m not bitter though. My memories of this time are often pleasant, even when I was single or sans girlfriend. As a kid it was great because we would get candy, cupcakes and all those little cards from classmates; gotta’ make sure you give those really neutral ones to the girls, don’t want to give them crazy ideas. In Illinois it also meant a short school week since Lincoln’s birthday (Feb. 12) was a day off! Illinois state holiday (I need to ask my nephew if it’s still true or did it get rolled into President’s day). High school and college were unexpectedly mediocre when one would expect it to be dreadful given the hormone and drama level we all experienced from 14-22. Being a gypsy spared me most of the disappointment in the early years, especially after a long-distance crush turned out to be one-sided. I think it was dumb luck that my family often relocated around this time. The University years are another story, practically every weekend is V-Day and somehow college students co-opted Sweetest Day.
Post-college was was a mixed bag. I remember reading a cynical cartoon about 20 years ago discussing Valentine’s Day being the end of the no-break-up zone. The argument went like this: when Thanksgiving kicked off, all relationships get locked down, especially the unpleasant/unhappy ones. Why? After Thanksgiving comes Christmas, New Year’s and the bleak stretch January can be. Dumping your boy-/girlfriend would be pretty heartless. I think the converse was true for the unattached, it tended to follow the job market…not much hiring happens until Spring.
I’m pretty over those things now. I lucked out on marrying a lady with a good sense of humor as the card I gave her proved. Oh, and she’s patient due to our Princess Bride feast tickets being tomorrow. I can think of at least two ex-girlfriends who’d be giving me the evil eye for a week for being “late.”