The Lovers and the Haters

It was Valentine's Day yesterday and once again, the haters came out to play. Commercialised, cliché, cheesy are words thrown about year after year, and this year was no different.

Well, call me a romantic, but I tend to disagree. What is so wrong in naming a day where people can - if they so please - put some time aside to make their feelings clear to their loved one. It's an occasion to remind us to go that extra mile every now and again, to make someone feel special, write a heartfelt letter, treat someone to something out of the ordinary. Just for the sake of it.

Commercialised? It's as commercial as you want it to be. No one is making you spend hundreds of pounds on the abundance of "ideal gifts" that have been advertised since the Christmas decorations came down in the shops. No one but you. That special treat could be cooking a dinner you wouldn't normally cook but you know the other person loves. It could be making an occasion out of something simple.

Cliché? No more cliché than giving gifts on someone's birthday, dressing a baby girl in pink clothes, eating turkey on Christmas Day. Why the issue with this day?

Cheesy? Again, only as cheesy as you want it to be. If celebrating Valentine's Day is buying a gift that is a useless, generic, stuffed toy that's red and is shaped like a devil, then yes. But is being loved and loving someone in return cheesy?

If I wanted to show someone I loved them, I could do so every day, they say. True, and I'm sure you do. But a special occasion is just that because it's not a regular occurrence. Between Valentine's Day and our Anniversary in October, and a few other special 'just because' days in the rest of the year that rushes past us, they are a few handy dates to remind us to stop and recharge. They're dates that help us appreciate how lucky and loved we are. Dates that make it easier to remember to be patient and use kinder words on the days that aren't as special.

I hope your Valentine's Day was special. And I hope it lasts and lasts and lasts.

Image Source: google.com via Susan on Pinterest