In defense of Valentine's Day

I have been trying to find pleasure in the little things in life to get me through some recent rough patches. I've been posting "what made me happy today" entries featuring amusing videos, a collection of Lord of the Rings Pez dispensers and pictures of flowers. Last week, I started to post a picture of a Valentine's Day card, but I held off because I wanted to give it to my sister and didn't want her to see it on my Facebook page before she got it in the mail. (Although, if she spends half as much time as I do at Target, she'd probably already seen it.)

I love getting personal mail. It is so uncommon these days, when invitations are sent through Evite and the bulk of birthday greetings are just pixels on a Facebook page. That is what is so wonderful about holidays: it is a nice reminder to keep in touch with people...you know, IN PERSON. Or at least with a more personal touch. I like giving cards and little gifts as much as I like receiving them. For $2 plus the price of a stamp, you can make someone's day.

So I am always a little amazed when people disparage "made-up holidays" and the traditions that go along with them. Cheryl Lavin, a relationship columnist over at the Sun Times and self-described "Vrinch," recently published a tirade that compared Valentine's Day (originally celebrated in 496 AD and associated with romantic love as far back as the 14th century) to Festivus (originally created as a gag for a sitcom in 1997). It makes me wonder what holiday she wouldn't consider "made-up." I imagine that she is the type to hand out nickels to trick-or-treaters.

It seems that the negative comments about Valentine's Day are either directed against the supposed unrealistic expectations created by various industries or by people who don't like to be reminded if they don't have a significant other. Men lament that they are expected to plan an elaborate fantasy complete with flowers that won't last a week and a fancy dinner that is gone in an hour. Women complain that the day is geared toward couples and they feel left out or somehow "less-than" if they aren't in a relationship.

Both sides claim that love should be expressed spontaneously, when you actually feel like it, and not forced because of some arbitrarily dictated square on the calendar.

I say BS to all of this. My fondest V Day memories have nothing to do with being in a relationship. I remember picking out cards to hand out in elementary school: the fun deciding between the Snoopy cards or whichever cartoon character was most popular in a given year. In high school, we could order different color roses to have delivered to friends in class. I had a blast picking out fun cards to send to family and friends this year. I even picked out the perfect card for my decidedly unromantic boyfriend.

As with many holidays, it is true this particular one has become commercialized (hello? we live in a capitalist country!), but no more so than any other. And this one has the added benefit of focusing on expressing your appreciation for the significant people in your life.  In my mind, that sure beats the hell out the Presiden's Day mattress sales.