Happy Valentine's Day!

I don’t know if everyone did this, but in elementary school I used to make a box decorated with red glitter, heart cut-outs, and other symbols of love. Then I would bring my box to school along with candy and a hand-written card for every kid in my class – no one was ever left out because I always had the class roster to make sure no one was forgotten. Then we’d take half of the day to eat heart-shaped cookies, red cupcakes with heart sprinkles, or some other Valentine’s themed dessert and pass out our cards. At the end of the day, I’d pack away my box and head home, feeling completely happy and content. I’d pile my favorite cards near my bed and eat all of the candy in one night. To me, Valentine’s Day was a holiday about love – not just the love for your significant other but also for the love for your friends, family, and a complete stranger.

Now the story is quite different. I don’t make a box for Valentine’s goodies, because I know it will remain empty. It strikes me as really funny that half of the girls I know refuse to accept the holiday because it is “just some Hallmark-holiday, designed to force people to spend money.” No one complained about that back in elementary school when they always got something… I don’t let being alone damper my joy on this holiday. To me, it is still a holiday of love. Last year I surprised some friends with heart-shaped cookies; a friend of a friend gave me a Valentine’s Day card with a cheap sucker in it – the kind I often received as a kid which are obviously sold in packs of 30; and I enjoyed spending time with the people I loved most of all – my friends. This year, I went out last week and bought myself a heart-shaped box of chocolates which I sorted through with my friends and finished off last night. I’ll be spending actual Valentine’s Day with my family because my grandparents are visiting, and that doesn’t bother me one bit. I’m actually pretty sure that when I wake up I’ll find some chocolate with my name on it, which will be cool. I’m also looking forward to the discount Valentine’s Day chocolates.

Also, people who buy practical things like sweaters, cameras, and shoes for their significant other of Valentine’s Day perplex me. I wonder if they realize they have the wrong holiday. Any future boyfriend of mine should know that I like chocolates/candy or stuffed animals. Flowers are sweet but they die, and I don’t wear jewelry. Also, I want a dinner in. If you want to do romantic, add candles and music, but I want more than anything to cook together. It’s one of those cutesy things that will bring you closer together. If the food sucked, I suppose we could order that heart-shaped Pizza from Papa John’s…

(I took this picture at the end of last semester. It says "I Love You" in Russian followed by "forever" in English , and I found it written on my desk in calculus. It made my day, so I snapped a picture of it.)

(The last picture is the only one on here that is actually mine. The rest of these were taken from various sites located on google search. I should really learn to give credit. Whoops! )