Amy and I have celebrated 15th of February Day since we got married. It is a gloriously romantic day! There is virtually no wait time at restaurants, you don’t run into copious amounts of public displays of affection and, most importantly, chocolate is available at half price or sometimes lower.This last was the main reason for the celebration of this auspicious holiday. Â Very early in our marriage, Amy happened to be out grocery shopping on the day after Singles’ Awareness Day and saw that heart-shaped candy boxes were on 50% off sale. Â She got a couple of them and that night we celebrated in high style.
She’s never been a huge fan of made-up Hallmark holidays (V-day, Secretaries’ Day, Sweetest Day, etc.). Â We think this stems from her employment at a greenhouse during most of highschool. Â They were a major supplier to a large, American chain store and would fill orders a month in advance for thousands upon thousands of themed plant arrangements. Â When we were dating, she specifically asked me not to make a big deal of V-day because she hated it so much. Â I was more than happy to oblige.
I recall going shopping the day before V-day in 2003 with a friend from school. Â He was desperate to find the exact right flower arrangement for his girlfriend (now wife). Â For whatever reason, we started at Wal*Mart (note to young men: bad idea. Â Trust me). Â He eventually found a dozen roses (of a particularly loathesome orangey-brown colour) and I came out with a very, very long scarf that I found in a bargain bin (she did say specifically not to make a big deal, after all). Â He probably spent 3x or more what I did and those flowers lasted for maybe a day. Â Amy wore the scarf for years afterward until she got a new one that didn’t get caught in car doors or drag on the floor.
I think the reason that V-day is not a big deal to us is that I make sure to give her gifts randomly throughout the year. Â Some couples only ever do anything romantic on the 14th of February and it seems like it’s only because society has set this day aside rather than out of any particular desire to do something nice for somebody else. Â You can build a strong relationship all through the year by bringing home flowers “just because” or buying your S.O. a funny t-shirt in June. Â Please don’t pin all your romance on one particular day of the year. Â If you spread it out, it takes a whole lot of pressure off that one day. Â Also it might mean that we can go out for dinner without reservatoins or waiting in line for three hours. Â Really, it benefits us all. Â We’re also planning to celebrate Abandoned Restaurants Day on Monday.