It occurred to me some years back that Valentine’s Day is one of those holidays that either owns you or it doesn’t. For many of my friends, Valentine’s Day passes without much fanfare. I’m not sure whether it was never important to them or if it just faded in meaning shortly after elementary school. For me, it became special after meeting my wife. Our first Valentine’s Day became one of those pivotal moments when I absolutely and undeniably knew she was the person I wanted to marry and grow old with.
While I might be hopelessly romantic, most Americans do appear to have a positive impression of the holiday. 8 in 10 Americans (slightly more women, younger people and single adults) are either in mild “like” or extreme “love” with the holiday.
- Only about 1 in 5 have purposely avoided Valentine’s Day altogether and chosen to do nothing.
- Only about 1 in 7 (16%) think it is a sham set up for “suckers”, the most cynical being men ages 18-29.
- And only a mere 3% say “no one” benefits from the holiday.
That said, most believe Valentine’s Day is designed for those whose relationships are still blossoming and growing – and less so for older, married couples (actually only 43% of married couples say Valentine’s Day is for us).
And by and large, women say Valentine’s Day is for… women. And men say Valentine’s Day is for…. women. In fact, both men and women are almost twice as likely to say the holiday is designed for those with two X chromosomes, rather than those with an XY.
So if your partner is a woman, you better get cracking because Valentine’s Day is less than a week away. Here are some ideas if you don’t want to end up present-less. I recommend this if you are on a budget, or this if you want to some humor, or this if you want to mix it up?
Or, have you already made your plans for this coming Valentine’s Day?
Betti says
February 10, 2012 at 9:58 amOn Valentine’s Day I always remember that my dad never forgot it. He would come home from work with a special gift for my mom and me and my sister. And he would say….”You are my girls…my Valentines.” It was always a special day for me. I remember making Valentines in elementary school and the worry about how many each person would get..for I went to school back in the dark ages before teachers made sure that everyone sent cards to everyone! Though my mother always made sure that I sent cards to everyone in my class so that no one would feel bad. Then, on to Japan where Valentine’s Day was celebrated in a different way…only women give chocolate on Feb 14 — and they give to their bosses, etc as well as their loves! (Men have to return the favor on March 14..White’s Day…and mostly give white chocolate.) Now my husband and I have agreed to take it easy on this holiday. Restaurants are busy, flowers over-priced, and our favorite times come just sitting home. Happy Valentine’s Day to you all.