Yellow Ajah's Valentine's Celebration: What Valentine's Day Means To You

[Gudrean]

What Valentine's Day Means To You

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hello to all my fellow Lovers of all things sweet and romantic!! It's that time of year again, when we lavish the ones we LOVE with sweets and cards and romantic experiences. So let's share just exactly what Valentine's Day means to you. This can include what it means to you personally, what traditions you might have, and how it's celebrated in your part of the world. 

Feel free to post as much as you like, let's just keep it clean and family friendly!! And Let the LOVE begin...

 

 

 

 

To me Valentine’s Day is a time to show that special someone just what they mean to you. Now not being a big supporter of anything too commercial, I prefer to do Valentine’s Day the “Made with LOVE at home way”. Where I’m from, USA, most common way to celebrate I think is candy, cards, maybe a romantic dinner, or flowers, however I traditionally make home-made brownies or other yummy and me and the kids make home-made cards for Daddy and usually make a special “Man” dinner like BBQ ribs with all the fixens!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Sunrise Lord]

I've always thought of Valentine's Day as the time of year when people could do something special for their loved ones, nothing more, nothing less.  I've usually received a gigantic Hershey's Kiss for Valentine's; I love chocolate!  Seeing that box with a silver-wrapped teardrop inside always made my heart sing.  I grew up in a single-parent home, so Valentine's was one of the few times in the year when anyone got anything special.

[Tamerya]

We generally do not celebrate Valentine's Day since we both classify it as a "hallmark holiday".  We believe you should show love and appreciation towards each other every day, not just one day a year.  ANd really, it's become so commercialized :(

 

That being said, we normally will do a more lavish dinner at home but that's about it.  No going out, no presents, just a night to spend together (which really, we do every night..haha).  This may change and mean more after we have kids though!

What we do celebrate, however, is Cheap Chocolate Day which is February 15th.  We'll go to a fancy chocolatier here (Bernard Callebauts) and you can buy valentine's themed chocolate for wicked cheap (last year we got a heart shaped chocolate that was filled with other wrapped chocolates inside..normally $50..we got it for $18!!). 

 

My favourite Valentine's tradition when I was a kid though - filling out the little cards for everyone in my class.  A girl at work still does it for all of her coworkers, and I think she's brilliant - however if I started now, it would definitely be seen as copy-catting :)

[Elaevia]

our anniversay is on the 16th feb, so we don't usually do anything in the 14th, we kinda celebrate both together the weekend after. so that may be dinner out and a film, a nice dinner in, a day out or something. on days like this, and birthdays etc normal chores are banned to make it a bit mire special.

 

and I totaly agree with cheap chocolate day, its amazing the bargains you can find on heart shaped choccies on the 15th (just in time for our anniversary!)

[Daruya]

And here I thought hubby and I would be the oddity! Honestly, to me it's just another day and we don't typically celebrate it or buy each other gifts. Although, a few years ago, hubby bought me one of those silly singing/dancing critters for Valentine's Day.

 

We actually feel the same way Tamerya does - that you should show love and appreciation towards each other every day, not just one day a year. And with us trying to really watch our spending, dropping money on flowers and boxes of chocolates just is not a priority! I think the best Valentine's Day present I could get would be this: being able to come home that day and not have to be the one who had to do all the stuff I regularly do - get dinner ready, help the boys with homework, do laundry, pay bills, etc. Not that I mind helping the boys with homework but it would be nice if I didn't also have to do everything else every day. Unfortunately, hubby's work schedule doesn't really cooperate in allowing him to do more. *sighs*

[Tamerya]

I think a lot of people are starting to not celebrate it, or at least do it in a non-commercial way - but I know the stores/flowers/restaurant businesses make too much of a killing off of it to change THEIR thinking... but it will be interesting to see what happens in the next gen?

[Millon]

I LOVE how commercialized it is. hahahaha I try to embarrass the missus as much as possible. Shate HATES it but loves it. lol Last year I had this MASSIVE bouquet of flowers delivered to her at work hahahahaha. This year I am keeping it a bit more simple. Made reservations at this fantastic Italian restaurant that we went to last year. We loved it. The server was amazing, the food out of this world. I even went in and asked to reserve the same table we sat at last year on a day that the same server we had last year was working. When we get home I will giver her he PLACARD sized VD card and a rose and some choccies. Should be a blast. I used to HATE Halmark holidays because they are so commercial and just another reason to spend blah blah blah (no offense Tamerya lol)but then I was like, 'so what's wrong with being campy? I DO do little random nice things throughout the year so why NOT jump in feet first and run with it?" and that's what I do now. I think she has something up her sleeve though this year. She's been a bit dodgy lately. I'm such a sucker for a surprise tht I won't even pry lol hahahahahaha HELL!! Before Christmas, the gifts the missus got me that she was supposed to receive in an unmarked box from sears was in the hall way when I got in from work. One was an opaque bag. When I saw the shipping label I closed my eyes and tried to carry them up stairs. I nearly fell like 3 times trying to carry the stuff up with my eyes closed! when I got in I ran into the bedroom and wouldn't come out until she got home to put them away so i wouldn't ruin the surprise hahahahahaha

[Tynaal Consen]

I've never celebrated Valentines day much. Except well.. when I was in Primary school I ahd a crush on my big brothers best friend, so I secretly sent him a card But I was 12 or so *shrugs* and that's pretty much where my Valentines day experiences end. I'm actually sort of terrified to go on a date on Valetines Day, simply cause it carries so many expectations One year this guy just randomly asked me out (I work at a Farmers Market on the weekend sometimes) and I was so petrified that after agreeing (that's what shock did!) I hid in the house for the next few days, avoiding all phone calls. I did make it up to him later, but meh. Valentines Day just seems like too much of a shlep and carries too many expectations >.>

[Daruya]

That sounds fun, Mills, and maybe someday hubby and I will get to that point again too! For the last several years, though, hubby and I have been trying so hard to reduce debt and cut spending that we don't even buy each other gifts at Christmas and on birthdays. I stress so much about bills and juggling payments that it's a relief not to worry that he'll spend "big" money on me and not being expected to spend some on him. That said, we do buy stuff together on occasion as a joint gift.

 

Of course, one year I told a friend of mine, "we don't do anything for Valentine's Day" and she just laughed. Turns out she already knew that hubby had gotten me that silly singing/dancing critter and that he was going to surprise me with it on Valentine's Day. LOL!

 

 

[Millon]

HA! That is awesome. I totally feel you on the budget thing. The missus and I haven't been able to buy each other xmas or bday gifts for like the past 5 years. This year was the first time we were able to do xmas. Even then it wasn;t the best idea and we now are almost back where we were in debt. We went last year to dinner on a gift certificate. BUT! You gotta treat yourselves some times. I would go insane otherwise.

[Tigara]

I work retail, working retail has made me less fond of pretty much every holiday. Valentines stuff show up in deliveries on Boxing week, Easter the week after. It gets so overdone and overpromoted that I just get sick of it before it even happens. And having been single for every Valentines ever (Well, except for one but I only dated him for a grand total of a week and a half so it doesn't really count), I've never really celebrated it. Yeah I'd give lil Valentines to kids at church and my parents would normally get me a thing of candy and usually a new book with it, but it's never been a huge deal.

[nicana]

I so agree with you Tigara. I used to work retail and it does ruin the holidays for you. By the time Valentine's Day comes around your already sick of it as well as Easter, because the higher ups think both holidays should already be on the floor and I won't get into the Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas mess!

 

Usually on Valentine's Day I give my hubby a card and a little chocolate. Never spend too much money. Lol I usually don't get anything.

[blank]

I have great Valentine's memories. Not because I spend it with anyone special though but I have lots of lady friends who think it would be a horrific to spend the evening alone *rolls eyes  * so a bunch of us usually hang out and get in a takeaway and eat loads of chocolate and giggle and watch films with Ryan Gosling. It's super fun.

[Gudrean]

I definitely get the budget part. One of the reasons we do home-made is to save money and the other is to keep from supporting the "Hallmark" industry. I also agree you should show the ones you love everyday and not just on Valentine's!!! But since the holiday has been set out there we try to spice it up a bit extra that day, among other "special" days

[Ryrin]

My husband and I usually just go out and have a peaceful dinner away from our 15 year old.  We give each other cards and small boxes of candy.  We've given our sons candy.  

 

Now, Valentine's Day for my almost 23 year old son has been turned over to he and his intended.