Frequently around Valentine’s
Day I hear the argument that the holiday is merely hype and an opportunity for
card companies to sell product and chocolatiers to make lots of money on sweet
treats. This, of course, is true. A friend and co-worker emailed us facts about
Valentine’s Day today. Apparently around
145 million valentines are mailed and over 189 million roses are purchased every
year, a total boon for card companies, floral shops, and post offices! My favorite fact? Over one billion (that’s billion with a “b”)
is spent on chocolate each year. This
year I contributed to the job security of chocolate sellers everywhere by
buying my hubby a heart-shaped box of chocolates.
But I think the argument
about Valentine’s Day being overrated isn’t entirely accurate. I mean, I get it…we don’t need a national
holiday to celebrate the ones we love.
We should be doing that every day.
But I love the way Valentine’s Day concentrates our focus on love. We make plans for how we will surprise our
loved ones. We take time to write in a
card or even create a card and write a poem.
We wander the aisle at Hallmark trying to find the perfect words to
encapsulate our feelings. We stretch our
imaginations to think of new ways to say what we (hopefully) say every
day: I love you! We reach out to our sweeties, our parents,
our grandparents, and our friends with little notes of affection and
gratitude. We think outside of the
heart-shaped box to find new ways to express long-standing feelings. What is overrated about that?
So soak up the love,
gang! Wallow in the gushy, mushy
feelings; bask in the affection of your friends and loved ones. And enjoy some sweets!
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