So, What’s the Deal… Do You Actually Celebrate Valentine’s Day?

Last week, a great friend sent me a message asking if I could hang out this week, while he’s on a bit of work break. I replied with a “Sure, I’m free on Tuesday and Thursday evenings.” 

Him: Thursday is Valentine’s Day.
Me: Oh, right. Are you going to do something?
Him: Yeah, aren’t you?
Me: Let’s make it Tuesday.        

And we did hang out, and last night was full of good times. But, to answer your question, Adam – no, I’m not. I mean, we may, but because it’s a Thursday and we both get our work done early enough and there’s a chance to hang out together. Maybe we’ll even go to the movies. But, not because it’s Valentine’s Day.

I’m am not a hater. I actually really like holidays and chances to celebrate. There are all kinds of yearly things I wouldn’t miss. I’m a total romantic, decidedly more so than my wife, as she will remind me on occasion. And I’m not even all that offended that it’s just some “Hallmark holiday” invented by the greeting card and candy companies to boost sales.

And, though I do kinda hate the color red (hence the black heart), I simply don’t care – even a tiny little bit about Valentine’s Day. I’m not opposed to celebrating it. I just won’t.

And the reason? It must be because I’m in a partnership with someone that also doesn’t care. If it were a big deal to her, then it’d be a big deal to me; not because I’d feel forced into it, or that she’d make me, but when my lady cares about stuff, I care about it. Would I “believe” in it? No, but I’d go all out, because I believe in her.

But, I realize that scenario isn’t true for everyone. Whether you’re in a relationship or not, many people know exactly that it’s coming up, and need to mark the occasion in a special way.

So, how ’bout it, ManMade readers? Do you celebrate Valentine’s Day? Every year? On a scale of 1-10, where one is “Oh, yeah, that’s why there’s all these jewelry commercials” and ten is days of chocolates and teddy bears (or something that’s actually romantic to adults), where do you fall? Where would you fall if you were with the person of your dreams? What do you do? What do you give? What do you say? What do you make?

Please discuss in the comments below.

Oh, okay..one time I did make my sweetheart something for Valentine’s Day: 

You can find the full tutorial here: How to Make Custom Art from Your Own Fingerprints

And last V-Day, we got into a great discussion on what non-cheesy love songs we actually like, and remind us how nice it is to be in love. There are some good ones in there.