The Monday Rant: Anti-Valentine's Day

Welcome to Valentine's Week - yes, a whole week!  Not just a day.  Why would you want to limit your celebration of love to just one day?  We all know my favorite holiday is Christmas, but Valentine's Day is so much fun, too.  Yet, there are some people who seem to think that it is a terrible holiday and do everything in their power to spoil other people's fun.

Now, it might seem pretty pointless for a happily-married woman to argue that you should love Valentine's Day, too, no matter what your current romantic situation, but just hear me out.  This will only be my 3rd happily married Valentine's Day, meaning that I have spent a lot of Valentine's Days un-married.  I've had single-and-happy Valentine's Days, dating-and-happy Valentine's Days, dating-and-wondering-why-I'm-still-dating Valentine's Days, single-and-lonely Valentine's Days, and once in college, I even had the classic single-and-still-got-3-unsolicited-Valentine's-cards-from-creepy-guys Valentine's Day.

So I get it.  I get that that 'evil' redhead rejected you 5 years ago and you still can't get over it and be happy.  I get that you were only trying to be nice to those guys who didn't seem to have any other friends and they took it the wrong way.  But I'm here to remind you that there is more than one kind of love!

Some of my favorite Valentine's Days were spent with my family and friends!  My mom and sister and I would get out the craft supplies and make Valentine's cards for our family members.  My little brother would share his leftover Halloween candy (kid is a health nut).  My dad would buy us flowers and chocolate.  And we'd bake cookies and eat conversation hearts.  I'd give cards and cookies to my best friends.  Does that really sound so terrible?

We're celebrating love here - and it doesn't have to just be romantic love!  We can celebrate friendship and family!

Now, for those last few remaining skeptics: yes, you in the happy relationship who persists in remaining anti-Valentine's Day because "it's just a holiday thought up by greeting card companies".  Think again - because that's not true.  Look it up.  (That is true, however, for Sweetest Day.)  Besides, you don't have to support big businesses, greeting card companies, or any business at all to celebrate Valentine's Day.  Make a homemade card.  Bake cookies.  Do something special for your loved ones: take a walk with them, watch a movie together, take them out for dinner - whatever makes them feel loved.  Take time out of your day to notice them and love them!

Now go forth and celebrate love!

Love and More Love,
Leah Joy