Don't go nuts on Valentines

Don't go nuts on Valentines

DEANNA ORTIZ: 'Do simple things that show your loved ones that you love them.' Photo: David Conachy

Sunday February 12th 2006

GO SHOPPING for a greeting card anywhere near in the middle of January, and you'll find a section already adorned with pink hearts, bows and teddy bears in preparation for St Valentine's Day. But how this affects the average onlooker usually depends on whether or not he or she will be getting candy hearts or languishing in mid-week TV hell come February 14.

While I'm aware of how undeniable the commercial force is behind the annual Day of Love, it's very easy to slip into a cynical anti-Valentine's rant. Even for singles it's a good excuse to go out to dinner with some friends and proceed to get bleary-eyed. So why hate it?

You don't have to be one of two to enjoy what St Valentine's Day has to offer - provided you don't let the sight of happy couples depress you, or allow it to induce homicidal tendencies in an otherwise peace-loving citizen.

In any case, there's always Single Awareness Day on February 15. Founded by Dustin Barnes of Mississippi State University (who was not having luck dating at the time), it tries to encourage single people to organise parties so that maybe they won't have to celebrate Singles Awareness Day (of the unfortunate acronym SAD) next year.

St Valentine's Day for couples is a marginally more dangerous affair. Unless you're Prince or Princess Moneybags, it's hard to emerge from the commercial bonanza of the day unscathed.

Once you've paid for the chocolates, the dinner (with wine), the jewellery or the risque present, you're out a small fortune - and with today's prices, that small fortune doesn't really look that small the next morning.

As one of two, this is my advice: go to the cinema, buy some wine, some lovely ingredients for a fancy home-cooked dinner, candles and an outlandishly sinful dessert. That's all you need to have fun! If you must get presents, flowers or music are fine.

If Valentine's is truly the patron of love, why do we insist on submitting themselves to the hype and end up spending so much? Who wants a letter from Visa at the end of the month full of sweet nothings?

http://www.unison.ie/irish_independent/stories.php3?ca=9&si=1561072&issue_id=13674&eid=185187&printer=1 (1 of 2)2/19/2006 12:13:13 PM

Don't go nuts on Valentines

So do simple things that show your loved ones - be they heart-throb, family or friends - that you love them in a warm-glow/squishy-feeling-in-the-stomach kind of way. But don't go nuts. Because, in the words of the sage J-Lo: love don't cost a thing.

Deanna Ortiz

© Irish Independenthttp://www.unison.ie/irish_independent/ & http://www.unison.ie/

http://www.unison.ie/irish_independent/stories.php3?ca=9&si=1561072&issue_id=13674&eid=185187&printer=1 (2 of 2)2/19/2006 12:13:13 PM