So, February, fun month isn’t it? Beside from Valentine’s Day, we have all sorts of other things to look forward too. For example the weather, spring is apparently just around the corner. That explains the snow. Not even real snow, just little icy spikes of evil that burn your eyes and make everything damp. So, Valentine’s Day was a refreshing break from this dismal month…supposedly. For a lot of people it was just a Thursday that gave you an excuse to watch chick flicks and bury your loneliness in a tub of Ben & Jerry’s. To quote a friend “Valentine’s Day Sucks”.
This year 1 billion valentine’s cards were received and a staggering £ 8.6 billion was spent on gifts worldwide; the average man spending twice as much as the average woman. However the number of divorces filed on Valentine’s Day has been steadily increasing over the last few years. As have the suicide rates.
Everyone seems to have forgotten all about the holiday by February the 15th. The only reminder being the dying flowers in supermarkets, along with discarded boxes of chocolates and tacky stuffed animals. By this point in the month Valentine’s Day is a distant memory, the chocolates are all reduced to clear, and the “dine in for two” adverts have disappeared. Everyone gets on with the rest of February, waiting for Easter; the next opportunity to celebrate something.
Some claim that it’s the most romantic day of the year while many now dismiss February the 14th as heavily commercialised and meaningless. But it’s not even sweethearts that receive the most valentines. Statistically its teachers, followed by children then by mothers. So maybe Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to be depressing and disgustingly romantic. In fact in Finland it’s celebrated as a ‘friendship day’. But at any rate, we don’t need to worry about it until next year.
Kendel Ruppert
