I Choo-Choo-Choose You

I used to be one of those people that railed against manufactured holidays such as Valentine's Day. I'm not quite sure if I have just turned into an old person in a relationship and therefore no longer bitter...or if I've just turned into an old person and sold out [my parents always said it would happen]. Anyway, I now officially vaguely embrace Valentine's Day, without actually doing anything that is traditional to Valentine's Day...if that makes sense? Things we don't do: dinner @ a fancy restaurant, hearts filled with chocolate, roses [or flowers in general], greeting card poetry...that kinda stuff. Things we do: fancy homemade meal, greeting cards with cartoons on them [this year I did Transformers]. So really, we aren't putting a great deal of funds into the Valentines-industrial machine, as it were.

I've certainly had some interesting Valentine's Days of yore. The ones that immediately spring to mind are kinda the bad ones...the year when I broke up with my then-boyfriend [it didn't take that time, but eventually did] and he brought me all those traditional Valentine gifts - chocolate, roses, shiny balloons [it's the only time this has ever happened!]...the year that Joseph and I ate leftover Chinese food and he told me that he was moving to Europe forever [again, that didn't take]...and the year Joseph bought me Swiffer Wet and my mum was horrified and thought we should break up [I loved it!]. This year I am fixing up some mighty fine vittles. On the menu is: spiced carrot dip served with baked pita crisps [like chips, but I season them myself and bake them up], creamy curried butternut squash soup and a fragrant Fuji apple pie. It's about 75% done right now and smells quite exotic in here. The chocolate and such will have to wait...

The thing is - there is nothing wrong with celebrating love. There *is* something wrong with demanding gifts and price points and fancy meals [and I have known people like this - if any element of the Valentine formula is missing - there will be a big fight or breakup]. Joseph and I like to spoil ourselves and each other on a year-round basis, so we don't wait for certain days. And while it's a lovely sentiment to say that you should celebrate love everyday...well, yeah, ideally. But real life gets in the way quite a bit, so it's nice that there are reminders like Valentine's Day or anniversaries or whatever to get us all back in the mood. Also, I don't think Valentine's Day should be shot down because it discriminates against the single...I mean, I don't get all up in arms because of Father's Day or religious holidays or St. Patrick's Day. And I have no dad, am not religious and apparently not Irish [it's a long story]...