15/02/2024
YES I know, it’s the 15th February - and I’m a teensy bit late with my Valentine’s musings! But I know you’ll forgive me 😊 ❤️
🐻 As with Christmas, some people like to a good old moan about the commercialisation of Valentine’s Day. A huffing grumble about societal expectations and the culture of gifting and spending. But here’s the thing: it’s not about grand gestures or splashing the cash!
❤️ It’s about reminding people we love that we love them, in whatever way works best for us. Don’t get me wrong: a token gift is nice. I know it’s not very original, but I don’t think you can go far wrong with a card and/or flowers and/or chocolate. And if you want to be romantic, thrifty AND pragmatic, there’s also a wide range of excellent value Valentine’s meal deals.
🖊️ 🚪 🫖 But even if you can’t or don’t want to spend any money at all, you have options. There’s a text or a handwritten note. There’s fixing a thing in the house that you know is annoying your loved one. There’s making the effort to sit down together for half an hour and check in with each other. Don’t forget those old love languages - one of these freebies might actually be the very best way to say « I love you and I care about the things that are important to you. »
📆 Of course you can do these on any day of the year. Surely we don’t need a note in the calendar and a bombardment of ads to remind us?
❤️ Errr well, let’s face it: we are all busy, fallible, forgetful, and occasionally even a bit neglectful of our most precious relationships - whether with our partner, family or friends.
❤️ So if Valentine’s Day gives us a prod to express our love and appreciation, then that can only be a good thing.
❤️ But if (LIKE ME) you ran out of time yesterday, there are still 322 days left this year :-)
❤️ BIG BIG LOVE ❤️