What's the fuss about Valentine's Day?

-

According to the trustworthy (LOL) Wikipedia:

Valentine's Day is a holiday celebrated on February 14. In North America and Europe, it is the traditional day on which lovers express their love for each other by sending Valentine's cards, presenting flowers, or offering confectionery. The holiday is named after two early Christian martyrs named Valentine. The day became associated with romantic love in the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in High Middle Ages, when the tradition of courtly love flourished.

Well, the simple fact that it is named after Christian martyrs alone makes me want to boycott this day altogether. But that is not a major thing anyway. I don't have to hate (and I don't ) everything that is remotely connected to Christianity.

But I outright reject to celebrate Valentine's Day anyway. Why? While the original idea of celebrating one's love is commendable, I can't help but feel that Valentine's has been hijacked by money hungry people, who only care about selling you stuff. And the holiday itself has become about giving stuff, not celebrating love. It has been commercialized almost as much as Christmas, who is now nothing more than an occasion to exchange gifts for millions of people (not that I have a problem with that, actually I support it). Everywhere you look there are flowers, little white bears and chocolates being delivered. Sales of diamonds and jewelry must skyrocket on 02/14.

I can't help it but wonder: Is that the way to celebrate love? Here you have possibly the most important thing in your life, the best thing that ever happened to you and what do we do? Like a bunch of sheep following a shepherd, we all go out and by roses, we all go out and buy chocolates and teddy bears. What is romantic about that? Where is the originality? How can this gesture make the recipient feel special, if they're getting the same thing, that just about millions of other people are getting, on the same day? What is so special about being REMINDED to do something nice for your loved one? Where is the surprise factor? Where is the originality? Where is the romance?

And who the hell decided that 02/14 is the day that we should celebrate our love anyway? 02/14 has no meaning for me, nor my wife. When we first met, it wasn't 02/14. When we had our first date, it wasn't 02/14. When we first consumed our love (sexually), when we got married, when we went to honeymoon, when we learned she was pregnant, when our daughter was born, IT WAS NOT 02/14. Those are the days I care about. Those are the days that have meaning. Those are the days that I should remember on my own, that no one can remind me about on TV while I'm watching "House". Those are the days I WANT to celebrate, not some arbitrary day, when every couple out there is doing the same thing. Why would I want to do the same thing that hundreds of thousands of couples that will never survive to see another Valentine's day are doing? Why would I want to share something so special, so private, so meaningful with the whole world, thus stripping it of it's meaning! There is no real reason, besides the social pressures to perform the ritual. And I for one would like to stand up and walk out of the room, in a sign of protest to herd mentality. Instead I choose to buy my wife flowers on some day when she wouldn't expect it. Just like that, for no reason, on a day that has no special meaning. It will be a surprise, and she will love it. And I bet you anything that she'll find that gesture more romantic than receiving flowers at her job, from a delivery person, on 02/14.