The Valentine’s Day Issue

So, big question: do you or do you not celebrate Valentine’s Day?

I ask because you’d think that in Paris, the so called city of romance, people would go nuts on this, the day of Love.

Sadly, this is not the case, or at least as far as I can tell. I am sad to report that today didn’t seem in the least bit different than any other old day of the year. Same haggard tired looking faces in the subway on the way to work, same hasty-don’t-really-mean-it “bonjour” arriving at the office, same gooey Italian menu at the cafeteria as any other Thursday.

Where are all the kissing couples and the holding tha hands and the smooching on the street? What happened to giving Valentine’s Day cards and handing out little pink coated candy hearts and sending an email to friends on this, El Día de la Amistad? Where are all the pink frills and the red cardboard hearts hanging from the ceiling?

I realize that a lot of people (specially in France!) consider Valentine’s Day a commercial holiday with no other objective than to sell extra chocolate and flowers, but have you ever thought what it would be like if there wasn’t a Valentine’s Day???

This morning, after my third “Happy Valentine’s Day!” got me a “my girlfriend and I don’t need commercial holidays to show we love eachother” (geez! why do the French have to be so cynical?) I couldn't help it and shot back: “oh, ok… so then when was the last time you gave your girlfriend a spontaneous gift just to show her you loved her… just because? And birthdays don’t count!” And what do you know? A few rounds of this question got me a couple of shrugs, a few “dunno” and one “never”. I rest my case people.

I agree that it’s not very romantic to have a number and a month remind you that once in a while you should show your love to that special someone, but if you’re not going to do it any other day of the year, then what’s wrong with having a pre-set alarm? I’m sorry but every human being on this planet enjoys getting a little “preuve d’amour” once in a while, so what’s wrong with it being on Feb 14th? Got something better to do that day?

I bet I can guess what you’re thinking (and if you’re French I bet I know what you’re thinking)…. Isn’t it better to show your love in little quantities every day (a quick kiss here, a little post-it with a drawn heart there…) than to bubble it up and present it nicely packaged in a once-in-a-year event? Maybe so, and I’m sure we all do try, in our own way to show our love on a regular basis…. But, just think how dull it would be opening up little bits and pieces of your Christmas present all throughout the year instead of getting the shiny new bike at the foot of the tree on Christmas Eve? Sometimes you really just want a single big all-out pretext to go out and celebrate that you are in love ……… and Valentine’s Day gives you that perfect excuse! SO USE IT and don’t be cynical about it, is what I say.

And to prove my point and show hubby how much I love him, I’m going to go home tonight and give him my once-in-a-year preuve d’amour : I’m gonna cook him a nice Fned-made dinner for a change!

(ha!ha! made ya double look didn't I? LOL)

Happy Valentine’s Day y’all!!!

Fned.