(no subject)

[jlh]

I'm wondering why there is so much defensiveness floating around about the celebration or non celebration of Valentine's Day. I don't hate it but I've never really thought of it as a day that had all that much to do with me. Only once have I had a SO over V-Day and he wasn't much for it, so I've actually never received much of anything on V-Day. I think everyone can remember the way that Valentine's Day fell into the ritualized humiliation that so much of high school was; I think the single, unpopular folks feel badly enough without being reminded of their status by some group or another selling roses or carnations to be delivered in home room. So I certainly understand the distress over it. Whether you are single by choice or by circumstance, being so forcefully reminded of it as a negative can make you crabby.

Mostly, as a single person, I think of Valentine's Day (and the weekend closest) as a time to be scrupulously silent, to leave my friends in relationships completely alone, and perhaps to reach out to some other single friend for a non-dinner outing. Here in the city, most restaurants have V-Day specials and seatings and overpriced crazyness of various kinds that marks it, not unlike New Year's Eve, as a day you can't ignore even if you wanted to. As for commercialization, well, I really feel that is there to take or leave. If you don't like something already, then commercialization will allow it to annoy you even more, and if you do like something, commercialization really just makes you work on personalizing your experience.

So not celebrating V-Day doesn't mean you're an embittered Singleton anymore than celebrating it makes you into an insufferable Smug Married. I hope everyone has a nice day, whether they are out to a romantic dinner, eating in with their family, on the town with friends, or curling up at home with the Olympics or a good book. Me, I'm going out to a movie with bowdlerized.

Comments

[pinkfinity.livejournal.com]

My husband has a cold and I have laryngitis. We're celebrating on Saturday. It's all good.

[ali-wildgoose.livejournal.com]

Did y'all end up getting tickets to the symphonyspace thing? If so, what the heck WAS that other movie, and will you stay for both? ;}

As for v-day, right now I'm just amused at all the men I've seen wandering around today, holding single red roses wrapped in cellophane and looking dazed. POOR SOULS.

[jlh.livejournal.com]

The other movie is The Awful Truth. Yeah, we're grabbing the quickest dinner ever and then running up there. Thanks so much for telling us about it!

[ali-wildgoose.livejournal.com]

You can repay me by having a fabulous time ;}

[darth-kittius.livejournal.com]

I don't understand the big deal either. You either celebrate it or you don't.

I've actually usually had more fun on V-day as a single than anytime I'm actually in a relationship. However, currently being in a relationship, it's a nice excuse for him to be romantic and take me out to dinner (I even got flowers over the weekend).

[jlh.livejournal.com]

Well, for me, I think that was a small part of going back to school. I certainly wasn't in a place to meet that person while still working in advertising--that was clear. Going back to school means that I'm generally happier with what I'm doing with my life and I'm doing it among people who are more, as your wife would say, my people. People who certainly won't think I'm so intellectual as to be unapproachable, which still baffles me.