Valentine’s Day or Saint Valentine’s Day … whatever your preference is: a holiday commemorated on the 14th of every February to celebrate love; a totality of love for our family, friends and our “sweethearts,” whom Cupid brought together with his piercing arrow of affection. There is no doubt that I love this day.  Perhaps it is my love for heart-shaped everything, my adoration of the pink and red color spectrum, or, to the detriment of my waist size, my unwavering love for chocolate. Perhaps it is my love for love and the opportunity to partake in a holiday that celebrates just that. Perhaps it is all of these things combined, but nevertheless, I love Valentine’s Day. Even before I had a “Valentine,” I would spend the day with my girlfriends and good conversation; or with my mother, a good movie and a pint of Ben and Jerry’s Phish Food (my favorite) which we would share with two spoons and good laughs.  For the past two years, I get to share the day with the best and most handsome Valentine of all. And when I have children? Heart-shaped pancakes, smothering kisses and red and pink colored gift bags for every year, and beyond the years during which they are completely embarrassed by my antics.
 
Don’t get me wrong – just because I love Valentine’s Day doesn’t mean that I believe the holiday to represent grand gestures or expensive gifts. I believe this is where the negative connotation of “Hallmark holiday” stems from.  It also doesn’t mean that you should take this one day to show your loved ones that you care. To me, Valentine’s Day is about celebrating the love that you have, the love that is free, the love that you show every single day of the year. Brian and I didn’t exchange gifts – just a box of chocolate and a casual dinner. To us, exchanging “I love you’s” every day is what matters the most. Here we are on Saturday evening, cheesing over two bowls of bruschetta chicken pasta and two ultimately refreshing mojitos.

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So, as you shared the day celebrating love, whether with your family, friends or sweethearts, I hope you had a great one. And as the 14th of February rolls around each year, I hope you remember this last thing: Don’t just say “I love you” on Valentine’s Day.

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So, how was your Valentine’s Day? Who did you share it with? What did you do?