Be mine, sweet valentine

It's the days leading up to Valentine's Day, and I've been busy adding little red and pink highlights around the house, making Valentine cards, baking brownies, and decorating sugar cookies with my nephew. 



I love love, I can admit that. I am a die hard romantic and have been as long as I can remember. I am a sucker for scented candles, Pretty Woman, and chocolate in a heart shaped box. I love hugs and kisses, sweet words, tender touches, and cheesy lines. Romance novels? Keep 'em coming.





Case in point: my husband decorated a Christmas tree with gold rings crafted out of ribbon in the middle of September, and proposed to me in the soft haze of Christmas lights. How could I refuse him?



So, hand me a day like Valentine's Day and, baby, I'm all over it.  To me, Valentine's Day is one of the best holidays of the year because it creates an opportunity for you to pause and celebrate all things love and romance.  Something that so many of us take so easily for granted.



And that is why I can never quite understand the anti-Valentine camp. So many times I have heard the argument that you can buy flowers or chocolate any old day to express your love, and not just because some over priced holiday tells you to. Valentine's day can be any day.... well yes, it should be.  But the truth is taking a time out to celebrate the people we love and the way we love them often gets lost in the craziness that is real life. And celebrating love on Valentine's day doesn't need to be expensive, or over the top. Pick a bunch of wild flowers/pretty weeds from the grassy knoll outside your office on your way home, use a cookie cutter and cut lunchtime sandwiches into heart shapes, bake cupcakes and make pink icing, pull out a nice bottle of red, play some classical cd's during dinner.  It can be easy, cheap and oh so lovely.  Your gift doesn't have to be extravagant, but your love can be.

Oliver and I worked on these while Jake was napping.  So much more productive!

 
Besides, if we have a special day set aside to celebrate life, and special days set aside to celebrate faith, then why not have a special day set aside to celebrate love?

Of course, I advocate telling your sweethearts (of all ages, and sizes) that you love them daily.  Buying a bouquet on any random Wednesday is also great.  I am  just saying that there ain't nothing wrong with making a special day out of it either.

 Is there?