Don't forget this Jamie; you can always get to a person with lavish gifts like the traditional bouquet, or box of chocolates... but it's those little things that you give like that that are more special, and have more meaning than the expensive things.
At least that's what I was told when I did a similar gift-giving thing to someone special like that.
The thing that bugs me is the fact that our culture SAYS that's more important, but it's like saying "It's better to give than receive." Culturally, we WANT to think we're above materialism, but we are NOT. It's in animal nature to be possessive and to want.
What really gets me is the commercials that condition us to believe otherwise. It's like those commercials that say "We know that times are tough." What are they doing? Lowering prices? Hiring? Raising the quality of something? No... just making conversation and subconsciously trying to get us mad at the wrong people because we can't bury ourselves in thousands of those products, and deep down those companies KNOW they're responsible for the reason WHY times are tough in the first place. You know those commercials that are like...Families are important! Instead of eating at a restaurant, go to a chain grocery store and buy everything there.
Those diamond commercials want us to believe that's tender moments of deep loving relationships when subconsciously they're saying, if you're man's not willing to be under incredible debt for a shiny rock that a bunch of Africans died over to get, he's a total loser. They're almost as bad as those video game commercials that tell guys to forget about anything but playing with our overly masculine war game macho macho gadgets. My sister KNOWS people like that and hates them.
I honestly am oblivious to most American holidays, be it superbowl sunday, memorial weekend or 9/11 anniversaries. People usually are all "dude, you seriously forgot today was *fill in the blank*
I like holidays, but I'm too old to celebrate 90% of them. Halloween? Last year, I spent the entire Saturday before going nuts looking for a used copy of "Groovie Goolies" and DIDN'T watch it all Halloween day. There's something I go to that's routinely scheduled opposite Easter
and it's STILL more fun that actually doing anything that day. Other than the day after candy clearances, there's nothing much fun there.
I'd love to say, "OOOOH! I hates them Valumntimes, I do!" And I'd love to say I'm never going to be with anyone, making me bitter about the whole thing, but I've completely gotten out of that. I honestly don't care. On the positive side, I don't have to buy anyone anything or make any effort. Can't say what the negative side is here, but we know what I mean. Too bad Valentines Candy kinda sucks, or I'd be happier about the clearance stuff. now Easter... I could lose a months worth of money in Easter clearance, and I wouldn't even touch those Peeps yet.
As far as VDay candy goes, you get the standard Russel Strover heart shaped chocolate bars with some sort of filling, Palmer's chalky candy heart shaped (give me the monstery eye ball and disembodied body parts anyday. I'll forgive the chalkiness then), and those candy hearts. Maybe the heart shape boxes, but you know half of them are recalled back to the company to be repackaged in square anytime boxes.
That said, every year I manage to buy a box of kid's Valentines, open them up, lose them on the floor in the passing of a year, and wind up having to throw them all away anyway. I don't know why....