Following rapidly on the heels of the obscenely masculine Super Bowl Sunday, Valentine’s Day brings heart shapes in hues of pink and red into the drab month of February. Upon picking up today’s issue of the Houstonian, many individuals will be disgusted by the number of references to Valentine’s Day inside their student newspaper.
Dreaded by some, welcomed by others, the holiday occurring a little after Christmas and a little before Spring Break is one with a greater split between devotees and haters than any other holiday in the United States.
I cannot say that this holiday is necessarily a national favorite because the jury is still out on Valentine’s Day.
We all remember vividly the Valentine parties of yesteryear. We all had our paper bags filled with cardboard pictures of cartoon characters signed by this classmate and taped to that piece of candy. Thank God it was required that these be passed out equally! Otherwise it would have been more rejection than I can handle.
The absolute universal upside to Valentine’s Day, no matter your persuasion or status, is the cheap, easy access to candy. Sure, a day originally not even associated with romantic love has been commercialized to “disgusting proportions” and all I can say is “I like candy.” As far as I’m concerned, whoever is making a fortune off of me and people like me this February deserves his or her money because he or she is doing a fantastic job. This candy is so festive it is practically irresistible. A personal favorite of mine is that specific brand of little colored hearts with romantic (though now mostly regarded as silly) puns and expressions of devotion. From mid-January, these “Sweethearts” are available in every grocery store. But still, the sweetness of these petite tarts does not get through to some. Therefore I suggest if you feel so behooved, you might consider ordering your “Sweethearts” printed with mean spirited phrases, as available online.
I know some of my friends are getting together on Saturday to pursue their alternative Valentine options. I for one have never actually attended anything similar, but these options include a girls’ night in, a dinner out, and even going as far as having so-called “anti Valentine’s Day” party. The last is ridiculous because the acknowledgement in and of itself categorizes the theme of the party as one pertaining to the tainted holiday.
Whether you are happy with someone or not, love and expression of love is fine and good, but for the sake of me not losing my lunch, try not to spend it all in one day. And those of you whom Valentine’s has got down, at least you don’t have to go to class this year.