There are a number of "holidays" in the calendar year, many of which America recognizes, and allow several working class citizens a day off from work, excluding retail employees of course. There is Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, etc. All of these "holidays" are celebrated, and as I said before, usually correlate with a day off from work. Then, you have other days that are considered a "special day", not like any other, but they don't necessarily equate to a day off from work. In the context of days like that, generally the first one that comes to mind is Valentine's Day. It is generally recognized by the American people as a "significant day", it comes with its own unique set of decorations, festivities, and traditions, and you won't find anyone missing work due to the occasion.
With most holidays, people can choose whether or not to celebrate/recognize the day at their own discretion. Why is it, then, that there is such a huge build-up to Valentine's Day, accompanied with insane amounts of pressure? You'll start hearing about Valentine's Day, along with all of the special pricing on flowers, chocolates, and jewelry starting in early January! You'll be pressured to buy extravagant things for your significant other, or even just small cards or candies for your friends and/or co-workers whether you choose to recognize Valentine's Day or not. This is unlike ANY other holiday. You certainly wouldn't find people pushing you to recognize Christmas. Granted, that holiday is associated with a particular religion, but even holidays like Thanksgiving or President's Day aren't laced with the same level of peer pressure, or expectations. Those two holidays are directly associated with our country, yet you don't feel the same level of guilt if you were to not participate; and why?
Valentine's Day is double-edged sword. Obviously, I'm speaking from a man's point of view, so this is slightly biased. Women are generally expected to get something small for their boyfriend/husband, but the expectations are much, much greater for men. A man is expected to get the usual flowers, chocolates, and a sentimental card expressing his undying and unconditional love for his girlfriend/wife. Flowers are NOT cheap, by the way. Browsing for flowers online this year, I found that two dozen roses were selling for as high as $75.00 with a delivery date of February 14th. These prices were a direct result of Valentine's Day, because when I changed the delivery date to the 13th or the 15th, the price of flowers was cut in half. Now, after the man has purchased the basics, he is also expected to purchase some type of jewelry. In a lot of cases, he could probably get away with giving a very nice designer bag, but for the most part, jewelry is the preference of the receiving lady. Now, on the other end of the spectrum, a man could be single. This fact would certainly be great for his wallet, however, seeing endless ads on television, and witnessing the chaos around him for this retched day, he will start to reflect on his life, and consider himself worthless for not having anyone to give these ridiculous gifts to. He will drown his sorrows in a bottle of Jack Daniels, and attempt to forget the fact that nobody loves him.
Any way you slice it, Valentine's Day is extremely over-hyped. I have never been able to bring myself to understand why there is so much hype, and so many expectations for what is essentially a made-up "holiday". My tips for future February 14th's would be to keep it reasonable. Men with girlfriends/wives, there is nothing wrong with a nice card, some chocolates, and a small gift. I would also recommend ordering your flowers a week or two ahead of time. This will end up saving you A LOT of money. Men who are single, don't get swept up in all of the bullshit that surrounds you on this "holiday". Remind yourself that this is a made-up "holiday", and that it is essentially pointless. If you need help with this, come back to my blog next year. I'm sure I'll have another entry about how stupid Valentine's Day is.
