Despite being in a happy, long term relationship, I still don’t understand why people are so obsessed with this one day ‘holiday’. Every year in the week leading up to February the 14th, there is a sense of excitement in most people and it is this hysteria that I have never managed to understand.

Most single people will believe that couples are simply showing off by publicly displaying their love for one another with their romantic days out, meals and their presents. There is no arguing that they definitely have a point. There is a certain level of exclusion when it comes to Valentine’s Day. For some people it may even be a huge hit to the self esteem when they realise that they’re single and nobody seems to be interested in them. Why should there only be one day dedicated to showing love? Surely if a couple are really in love with one another, they would show their feelings every day? Something about setting a single date for this to occur on takes all the spontaneity and romance out of everything. It’s a superficial holiday that is an obligation. People shouldn’t have to buy gifts to show their love and if they must buy gifts, it doesn’t have to be organised. As soon as something becomes an obligation, the fun soon becomes drained out of it.

But can couples really be to blame for the big fuss before this day? Whilst on social networking sites, I have found that most of the mentions of Valentine’s Day were by single people who were complaining about it. This means that these people are just making matters worse for themselves as they’re the ones that bring up the holiday. I find that these complaints are also somewhat meaningless and hypocritical because it’s not uncommon for these single people to hate the day purely because they can’t join in and so the next year they’ll jump on the bandwagon.

This makes me question my own faith in the human race. Since when did we all become so dependent on others? If you feel as if you need a partner then you certainly shouldn’t get one purely because it’s important to learn to love being single. If you choose to be in a relationship because you can’t stand the thought of being single then you’re more likely to hurt yourself by throwing yourself into the arms of people you may not actually want to be with. If people are able to learn that being single has many freedoms and that if they’re patient, they can find who they are looking for then they are far more likely to achieve happiness.

The only real purpose I can think of for this holiday is to give those who are afraid to confess their feelings an opportunity. Even so, I feel that if these people feel strongly enough for a person, they can find the strength and the confidence to admit their feelings.

And so I won’t be celebrating Valentine’s Day this year. I find love to be an amazing experience that should be enjoyed all year round. This event becomes less and less about romance each year as the superficiality of it increases and people become more and more infatuated and greedy.  Cupid is beginning to look less and less like a naked chubby little baby and more and more like a fat business tycoon in a suit puffing on cigars. Well, at least it’s good for the economy. 

Pamper yourself
If you do not have anyone else to be spoiled on Valentine’s Day, why not indulge yourself? Cook delicious food for you, or a relaxing bath by candlelight and music. By not thinking about other people’s feelings, you are free to spend time doing what you want and make the day special.

Do not contact the ex-
With an atmosphere that feels romantic and people together in pairs, it is fair if your mind drift back into the past with former Valentine’s Day, especially if you just split up. Nevertheless, the weight of whatever the temptation, do not call him anymore. Remember, hurt does not make a beautiful Valentine. Call your friends and spend time berhargamu and chat with people who are fun only.

Do not just look beautiful, beautiful
Most likely you will see them jealous of their affection on Valentine’s Day-mesraan. But still, remember that romance is not necessarily happen that way everyday. Remember all the things that make bete in a relationship.

Stop torturing yourself
Crying while watching romantic movies, singing songs desperately upset, or return to regret why you should break up with your ex? Well, stop torturing yourself. Are you sure this is the way you want to spend Valentine’s Day?

Spend time with others
Just because you singles on Valentine’s Day does not mean you have to celebrate alone. Instead of mopping the house, make a plan to have fun with family or friends. Valentine’s Day is a day to spend time with people we love – not necessarily a partner.

Start a new relationship
If there is one that you seek, and they also seem interested in you, why not take a chance on Valentine’s Day to express love? Send cards without names or email are tempting to give him a cue. In addition, another alternative is to register on online dating service and find another way to find love, and leave feeling happy as if it would start a new relationship to make your day happy.

There are 3 ways you can enter Valentine’s day:

1.) You are single and have been for a while, then for you it’s a day of watching all the couples, which makes you annoyed that you haven’t been able to get a partner

2.) You are newly single, in which case you will be pining over your last partner.

3.) You are in a couple.

This 3rd way is the one that is odd for me. If you are in a relationship then you shouldn’t need a special day to treat your partner the way you want to, which is how Valentine’s day seems to be marketed. So, the only people that Valentine’s day is good for are the people in a bad relationship, and why should that be celebrated.

Of course, Valentine’s day can be used to find someone new, but in general the people out looking for someone on Valentine’s day are generally single for a reason. Or at least that’s my experience. I’m certainly not saying all single people deserve to be so, but the creeps tend to come out at this time. It’s scarier than Halloween!

But for some reason it’s still popular, people still love it. I’m baffled. The only reason I can think of is that people are in fact sheeple. It’s a cop out answer, but it seems most likely. So to the people who are single this Valentine’s, I have this piece of advice. Find friends and have an anti-Valentine’s. They are some of the best parties around because there is no pretense or ulterior motive. After that spend whatever time you want finding ‘The One’

Bisous xx

However nowadays Valentine’s Day is nothing more than a commercialized holiday that benefits only corporate America.  Hand written notes have for the most part been replaced by greeting cards, home-made confections have been largely replaced by pre-packaged candy, cookies, cakes and what have you.

Not only has it been commercialized, it has been marketed so well that many people who have no valentine have decided to boycott it.  I am sure that there was at least one year when you did not have a valentine, I am sure it was a lonely day.

 I was without a valentine for at least seven years; the first year was a tough one.  The second year I decided to get all of my single friends together and have a fantastic dinner and a movie.  I decided we would watch a comedy that in no way represented a broken romance or had anything to do with love for that matter.  There was no exchanging of gifts, instead everyone was to bring a homemade confection, no pre-packaged anything, except for the wine of course.

I did it this way because I wanted to show my single friends that being single could be as fun as being in a relationship on this day and that the holiday did not have to be commercialized. We had so much fun that it became a tradition.  Of course there came a time where one or more of us found our significant others, so instead of stopping the tradition, we inter-grated it.  So for the last twenty-something years a group of us get together and celebrate St. Valentine’s Day with our significant others and our single friends.  We still don’t exchange gifts and we still bring a homemade confection. 

If you still want to buy a box of candy and a greeting card, go for it.  However, homemade cookies and a heartfelt written note will really make the night something special.

Show your friends that they don’t have to be alone on Valentine’s Day, those people that say it’s just another day are the ones that you need to take under your wing.  So start a tradition, invite your single friends and your married friends to your house for dinner on Valentine’s Day.  The truth is you can have a romantic dinner anytime you want to with your significant other. 

Some single friends might ask you out to join them. If you really want to hang out with them, that’s great. You need to have some fun. But if you don’t feel like you want to go out, then don’t force yourself to get out, just to pretend that you’re having fun on Valentine’s day.  In that case, start your Valentine’s celebration even earlier, starting on the day before it, by shopping around to collect the things which you might need to indulge yourself in the next day, such as hobby/craft supplies, DVDs or others, and make sure that healthy food is one of them.

Now that Valentine’s day is around, it is the perfect time to say “I Love You”, so be kind to yourself. If want to express it so badly to others, why don’t you express it to yourself first? Find out which part of you deserve to be loved, whether it is your personality, or other good qualities, and love yourself for those positive qualities.

Crying over past is the worst way to celebrate Valentine’s day. That way, learn from it, and find a way to cheer you up. Such as:

• Watching you favorite movies.
• Listening to your favorite musics, or even singing and dancing with it.
• Make a list of things you’ve accomplished, and read it. Don’t forget to put this note on the wall, next to your bed, desk, or anywhere which might catch your attention to read it again and again.
• Read something which you might need to learn.

Last but not least; Get real. Valentine’s day is just like any other days within a year.

Not that easy?

People often describe being single as an unhappy experience. Never believe in what they say, for happiness is within yourself. It’s up to you whether you want to be happy or sad, whether you are single or not. You might be forced to be single, but you still have other options; would you prefer being a happy single, or the sad one?

Look at yourself

Check on the mirror. How do you look like? Do you like it or not?

Many people forget to take care of their self when they’re in a relationship, for they’re too busy taking care of their loved one. Now that you don’t have anyone to take care of, it’s time to get yourself together.

One left,  more to go

Being single doesn’t have to make you alone, or lonely. Many people even have so much more time to catch up and have fun with their friends, families or relatives after they’ve returned to their single life.

Another way to make sure your Valentine’s Day with someone special is a great day is to really put a great deal of time and effort into the planning. It can be difficult to plan a truly spectacular Valentine’s Day at the last minute because you are likely to run into a series of mishaps as a result of others trying to plan a great Valentine’s Day for themselves. To avoid this type of problem, plan way ahead and make all necessary reservations way in advance. If you put a great deal of time into planning your Valentine’s Day celebration, your partner is bound to notice. Conversely, if you try making plans at the last minute, she is likely to notice this as well and will likely feel disappointed that you didn’t spend more time planning.

Consider a weekend getaway for a truly memorable Valentine’s Day with someone special. A weekend getaway can be as elaborate as a long weekend on a tropical beach or a couple of days in a new city. It doesn’t matter where you go or what you do as much as it matters who you are with for this trip. If you are spending time with someone you love and going to a location you will both enjoy, it is sure to be a spectacular trip. For example a couple of sports enthusiasts might love a trip to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY while a couple who loves the outdoors may appreciate a camping trip in the mountains of CO.

If you are spending Valentine’s Day with someone special, you might want to consider giving your loved one a truly unique gift. For example red roses are one of the most traditional Valentine’s Day gifts but you can put a spin on this old fashioned idea. For example, if your girlfriend loves gardening you might give her a gift such as a few gardening tools and some bulbs that you can plant together in the spring. It may not seem like the most romantic gift to others but if you know it is something your loved one will cherish; it can be a great Valentine’s Day gift.

Another way to spend a memorable Valentine’s Day with someone special is to cook a dinner for her yourself. Many couples view Valentine’s Day as a time to go out to expensive restaurants and enjoy elaborate meals but other couples enjoy staying home and enjoying a quite meal together. You can take charge of the planning and do all the cooking yourself or you can involve your girlfriend and turn the cooking into part of the date. For example if you know how to make a particularly difficult dish, you might ask your partner to help you so you can teach her the basics of how to make the dish. The two of you can spend some time preparing the meal together and then enjoy the dinner by candlelight.

Jewelry is another popular gift idea for men to give to women on Valentine’s Day. Men may feel as though once they give their wife a few pieces of jewelry, there is no way to continue giving jewelry. However, this is not true. For example if you previously gave your wife a solitaire ring you might consider giving her a new ring with three stones to reflect the past, the present and your future together. You might even consider having the solitaire ring modified to include the additional stones. You can also put a unique spin on gifts of jewelry by giving different stones or jewelry of different metals. However, when selecting a gift of jewelry for your wife on Valentine’s Day care should be taken to choose items that reflect her taste so you are sure your wife will love the gift and want to wear it often.

If you and your wife have children and excellent gift idea for Valentine’s Day is to present your wife with handmade coupons for free afternoons. You will take care of the kids during this time so your wife can go out and relax and enjoy some time to herself. Many women often feel guilty about leaving the children with their husbands to take time for themselves. This type of gift will make her more likely to take some time to get a manicure or do some shopping without feeling guilty because you will be volunteering to watch the kids so your wife will not feel like she is inconveniencing you by asking for some time to herself. You can make this type of gift even more special by giving your wife a gift certificate to a beauty salon so she can go to get her hair done or have a manicure and pedicure. You can also plan a special activity for the kids while she is gone. For example you might sit with the kids and have them make a gift for their mom while she is gone. This way your wife will have some free time and will also receive a homemade gift from her children.

Another great gift idea for women to give to their husbands on Valentine’s Day is something that really reflects his personal interests or hobbies. For example if your husband is really into following a particular sports team, you might consider buying him tickets to a game or a piece of memorabilia. For a man who has an interest in an activity such as fishing, you might consider buying him something related to his hobby such as a new fishing reel or other accessories for fishing. These types of gifts may not seem overly romantic which is why many women do not consider these gifts at Valentine’s Day but they do show that you really know your husband well and appreciate his interests and hobbies. This is a very important part of being in love with someone and therefore these gifts are perfect for Valentine’s Day.

A homemade dinner is also a great gift idea for women to give to their husbands on Valentine’s Day. Again, most women cook every night so they wouldn’t consider cooking dinner as a Valentine’s Day gift because they think it is too ordinary. However, if they just make a few changes by creating an elegant menu and serving dinner by candlelight it can transform everyday dinners into and excellent gift idea. You may spend a little more time preparing the meal than you normally would spend to cook dinner but both you and your husband will get the benefit of being able to relax and enjoy a fabulous dinner together.

If you are running out of ideas for gifts to give your husband on Valentine’s Day, you might want to consider giving him some clothing as a gift. This really is a good idea because if your husband is like most men, he rarely shops for clothing for himself. In fact he may still be wearing clothing from high school or college. Try buying your husband items he normally wouldn’t purchase for himself such as a stylish pair of jeans or a new pair of shoes. He will likely appreciate the gift because he will now have a few more clothing options but will not have to worry about doing his own shopping.

A final gift which can be a good idea for women to give to their husbands on Valentine’s Day is a gift certificate for a massage. Men often give these types of gifts to women on Valentine’s Day but women typically don’t give these types of gifts to men. Men enjoy being pampered just as much as women do, and your husband will likely appreciate a gift of a gift certificate for a massage. However, you might consider giving him the gift certificate and also scheduling an appointment for him. This is helpful for a couple of reasons. First it helps to make sure your husband doesn’t accidentally forget about the gift. The other reason is that some men may be shy about this type of gift because they have never had a massage before and may be apprehensive. If you make the appointment for them, it will take away some of the anxiety.

Flowers are one of the easiest gift ideas for a man to give to his girlfriend on Valentine’s Day. This is such an easy gift because it is so widely associated with Valentine’s Day that it is not likely to be misinterpreted by the recipient. A gift of one dozen or more red roses is considered to be a romantic gift but it is also very common so your girlfriend is not likely to read too much into this type of gift. However, there are some mistakes a man can make when giving his girlfriend on Valentine’s Day. For example, your girlfriend may be hurt and disappointed by a gift of yellow roses because this gift is usually meant to symbolize friendship and not romantic love. This is significant because if you give your girlfriend yellow roses she may feel as though you don not take the relationship seriously and do not think there is much of a romantic future for the two of you. The one exception to this is if your girlfriend particularly likes yellow roses, or another flower not traditionally associated with Valentine’s Day, and you know she will appreciate a gift of this particular flower on Valentine’s Day.

Jewelry is an appropriate gift for you to give to your girlfriend on Valentine’s Day as long as the cost and type of gift is commensurate with the stage of your current relationship. For example an expensive diamond ring would not be appropriate if you and your girlfriend have only been dating for a short time. However, a gift of a diamond ring may also be inappropriate in a long term relationship if your girlfriend assumes the ring is an engagement ring and you meant the gift to be a token of your love only. In general when giving jewelry to your girlfriend it is a good idea to limit gifts to less expensive items in a new relationship but you can purchase more extravagant gifts for a strong relationship for which you see a definite future.