Celebrating Valentine’s Day

I was curious about how people were spending their Valentine’s Day this year, so I set up a poll to capture information. I’m a little surprised with the results but maybe I shouldn’t be.

Poll results

The majority of you are doing nothing!! I started out allowing two votes per person, but Tim told me that wasn’t enough. So, I increased it to four. I guess I didn’t need to make that change after all.

One thing my poll doesn’t capture is how you feel about these results. I’m sure many of you don’t care one way or the other so getting nothing isn’t a big deal.

I like to celebrate Valentine’s Day but I don’t feel the need to go all out. I gave Tim a card (which I made), some candy, and a fun t-shirt. (You can tell I included my own vote in the poll. Except I did vote before I got the candy. 😉)

In general, I could survive with nothing, but that doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate what Tim does for me. ❤

What’s the trend with Valentine’s Day?

Of course, I had to research this a little and I wasn’t surprised that I found some statistics to share.

According to this article, only about half are doing anything for their sweetheart. Once again, my poll results seem to reflect this trend. (I always wonder, given the small sampling.) Valentine’s giving has been trending downward for the last twelve years.

So why aren’t people interested in celebrating Valentine’s Day anymore? There are three reasons cited: there was a feeling among some consumers that Valentine’s Day is over-commercialized, people also tend not to participate if they do not have a significant other, and then they just weren’t interested anymore.

While fewer people are celebrating, those who do are actually spending more money. That’s because they are spending not just on their sweethearts, but on their kids, friends, family, coworkers and even pets.

How did we celebrate?

In January, Tim said “Let’s not do anything for Valentine’s Day except go out for dinner.” I said fine, but I’d already found this t-shirt that I wanted to give him. I assumed that wasn’t big enough to matter. And I always make him a card.

But then, all of a sudden, he started giving me things. This was way before Valentine’s Day. First, it was a heart locket necklace, so I could put pictures of Mickey and Brutus in it. Then when we were grocery shopping at HyVee, he told me to pick out a dozen roses. (Does that count?)

Next, he had Brutus give me a little heart box with a cat on the front and three pieces of candy inside. The day before Valentine’s Day, we went out for dinner at our favorite celebration restaurant. We thought we’d avoid the crowds, but I think others were thinking the same thing!!

On Valentine’s Day, I woke up to find a card and a candy bar – Hershey’s Special Dark, one of my favorites. And finally? The Saturday after Valentine’s Day, a package arrived with an original giclee print of Roger Federer (my favorite tennis player). And this is from the guy that said let’s not do anything?

The grandkids

We did get something for the grandkids. You have to show them love on Valentine’s Day, right? I made cards and we found some fun things for them to do – making fancy paper airplanes (including stickers) for Brady and magnetic paper dolls and a Minnie Mouse Valentine book for Carly.

We visited them on Saturday and were able to give them their presents then. Oh, and of course I made heart sugar cookies.

Do we change as we age?

I don’t think age is an issue with how people celebrate Valentine’s Day. What we do and how much we spend might change over time, but I think it’s still fun to acknowledge the day in some way. It doesn’t have to be a big deal; just a token gift is enough because it’s the thought that counts.

Some will say it’s silly to have one day a year when you’re supposed to show someone how much you love them. Maybe. I agree we should show it every day. But that doesn’t mean you can’t make it a little special, just like you do birthdays and anniversaries, right?

Even if you’re alone, you can still make it a special day. The joy you bring to a friend’s day could be just what’s needed to brighten your day too!!

In the end, I simply hope you all had the kind of Valentine’s Day that’s perfect for you!!

❤❤❤❤❤❤