I Hate Valentine’s Day

I hate Valentine’s Day and I am not alone in this hated sham of a celebration. One day of the year, you are commercially forced to declare your love for your wife/husband, partner, girlfriend/boyfriend, or secret admirer.

I don’t know why we have a Valentine Day thrashed upon us but it’s hard to miss with the mass consumerist melee inspired by greetings card companies. The second the Christmas cards were out the door in came the Valentine cards. In my book, the only people that end up happy on Valentine’s Day are shop owners, internet shops and greeting card companies. Restaurants, jewellers, florists, chocolates manufacturers, stuffed animal pushers…..you name it, they turn a profit.

I have a wife and as much as she tells me, she doesn’t like Valentine’s Day I get the idea she would be pissed off if I didn’t do something. Therefore, I duly stump up something with a smile on my face, declaring my love because for some reason it means more than any other day.

As the male of the species, I feel we are under the most pressure to perform and a card just don’t win you any kudos for not  stepping up to the plate with a hand full of goodies.

My hatred of the whole Valentine thing doesn’t stem from the fact I only received three Valentine cards as a youngster in over ten years in school, I am not bitter. It hurt a bit to feel unloved or unfancied when your friends ‘allegedly’ are loading up with cards, or they tell you they have. What proof do you have your mate is awash with cards, their word. I would have liked to know who sent me those three cards one I received in secondary school and the other two were locally received.

I have been in the pocket for the wife I expect nothing in return, not even a card I have warned her. I stepped up a bit, this year from lingerie, which is my normal gift for the wife, and you could class it as a joint gift, "Know what I mean? Nudge, nudge. Wink wink. Say no more".