How Can Anyone Truly HATE Valentine's Day? (yes, sister, this one is for you)

Today is Valentine's Day!  Yes, I am one of those people who loves any holiday for no particular reason other than it's a fantastic reason to celebrate something.  And who doesn't like when an large portion of the population (ok, not so large on this particular day) will ban together and all wear similar colors, eat sweets in interesting shapes, have a particular meal, call their friends/family, drink alcoholic beverages (often with unusual decoration), and/or spend the day at the beach (this seems to be the way to celebrate any holiday in California, as far as I can tell).


This day could be like a literal pinko revolution every year if we let it!  Can you imagine, masses of people in varying shades of red and pink all moving about their day eating heart-shaped items (which, now that I write this, seems a bit barbaric), drinking pink martinis, and sharing little signs of affection with one another (in my simple mind, this extends to holding hands, friendly hugs, and little pecks on the cheek; keep your dirty business like making out, sharing the same seat, and rubbing against one another to dimly-lit high school dances, please)?


It's not.  We all know it.  For all the pink, squishy promise Valentine's Day offers every year we fall short.


I understand that there are people out there who hate Valentine's Day, and I know this because I am related to one (please mind that this relative is also someone who makes gagging sounds during the end of romantic comedies, even in public (luf you Gissy!)).  I even understand the dislike of how commercial this holiday in particular has gotten, that it's annoying to feel like you absolutely need to get your significant other a gift (and the accompanying pressure to make sure it's something that goes above and beyond the typical commercial-ness of this holiday), or that everywhere you go people are loosing their minds buying chocolates in stores, making out on street corners, and generally making the rest of us non-attached fools aware of how lonely being single really is.


I don't blame these people for the failings of Valentine's Day (ok, maybe I do... just a little).  But really?  How can one dislike making an effort to be even a little romantic once a year?  Because you know what, you're right: you could celebrate your significant other on another day if you wanted... you really could.  But you don't.  Nope, in fact I'm betting that you've become so comfortable you sometimes (possibly often?) forget to even think of them as a romantic-type relationship.  You know what would help you remember?  A holiday once a year where a large portion of the population dresses in pink & red and puts pressure on each other to appreciate relationships.  Wait...


For those of you in my boat (you know the one... where we're padding down an angry river alone in a little canoe with no sign of anyone willing to jump in and pick up the extra paddle anytime soon), you're right, it hurts my heart a little each time I see people so excessively happy with one another that they can't stop smiling.  As a friend tells me, it's "Singles Awareness Day", or SAD for short (she's very clever, this one).  But here's the thing, I'm going to go out an get a drink with this friend...  we're going to have a good time, and we're going to wear pink.


Because I still have hope for a mass of squishy pink people...