the stupid holiday post

As promised, I shall enlighten the masses with my infathomable wisdom on such matters as overhyped holidays. No, it's not a coincidence that this post appears on (the day after) Valentine's Day (which shall henceforth be referred to as V-Day due solely to laziness on my part). Note that I didn't say it was utterly pointless, just overhyped. More on that later, but for now read on. Oh, and in the spirit of full disclosure I'll add that I've never once celebrated V-Day.

Every year during the weeks leading up to V-Day, we're constantly reminded of how crucial it is to drop loads of money on a sparkling rock or piece of metal for that special someone. But I've never seen the point in this. Sure, it's just another example of the greed-driven perversion of a holiday into an excuse to run out and buy something, but there's more that can be said. The main thing that comes to mind is, why would a woman appreciate her man spending so much money on a trinket? Perhaps I'm revealing my complete ignorance in the matter of relationships here, but it simply doesn't make sense. I mean, there's a lot of things two people can do with that kind of money. Buying an expensive piece of jewelry for something other than a significant personal holiday (anniversary, birthday) wouldn't be near the top of my list. If it's the act that counts, something cheaper would show the same thing. Okay, it wouldn't show an impulsiveness that leads one to stupidly spend a large portion of one's income in one shot, but it would get the point across. You know, a nice dinner, flowers, whatever. Like I said I have no experience here so use your imagination. But I for one hope that any future mate of mine would hold me to a higher standard of managing my resources than to spend such money simply for an emotional response.

Another thought: If someone has to go so far out of their way and into their wallet to show their love for a significant other, does that say anything about the relationship? Shouldn't such love be implied? Sure, reminders are nice, but there are anniversaries for that. Or how about just random occasions? Wouldn't that mean more than just doing something because some date happened to creep up? Now I'm not saying that any celebration of V-Day is excessive (although I'm not saying it isn't either). Just pointing out to y'all that V-Day shouldn't carry with it any additional weight or importance. And especially, it should pale in comparison to those personal holidays.

Lest anyone think this is just another rant from some lonely single guy (okay, this is a rant and I am a lonely single guy but you know what I mean), I don't actually have anything against V-Day. In fact, there are times I wish I actually had reason to celebrate it. Although I must admit that it's usually the opposite around V-Day due to the commercialization of it all. But if I were in a relationship I can't see myself treating this day with significantly more importance than any other day in the year. And hopefully I'd be able to show my love enough during the rest of the year that it wouldn't matter. If not, overcelebration of V-Day isn't likely to cure that problem.