What an incredibly silly thing to say! Valentine's Day is a time to realise how lucky you are to be with the person you love, even if you count your blessings every day it's a time to celebrate and I think it's good for relationships. When it comes to gifts I don't believe that's important, but I have nothing against exchanging gifts or cards, is it really fake or showing off to give the person you love a card expressing your appreciation of them? :shocked: Anyway, it's fun to do cheesy stuff sometimes. :flutter:

Only to those people who haven't put a restraining order on me

:laugh: you old sod

It's lost it's meaning. Far too commercial now, just a huge money making racket. Yeah I'm cynical shoot me! Restaurants cash in with deals, flowers are extortionate, confectionary companies rake it in. Card companies rub their hands with glee.

It is nice to have a special day, but love and romance should be spontaneous or at least unexpected by the recipient, not a duty on a set day of the year. :shrug:

And it's terrible (s0b) for us singletons in our Bridget Jones knickers when the postman won't meet our eyes as he pushes bills and crappy adverts through the letterbox while we hover at the window pretend to nonchalantly dust the ornaments, with a tiny glimmer of hope in our hearts. :bawling: that's cruelly snuffed out every Feb 14th.... Simply dreadful.

..yeah, I agree that everything in general is just too commercialised but I don't think that people have to buy into that part of it but just take the sentiment and meaning of these things..I would never buy flowers or anything because they're ridiculously expensive and I've hardly ever bought a card, I usually make one, even if it isn't a card as such but just something that I think will have meaning to just us..(my OH and I..)...and it's usually really naff, I know but I still do it...

..I do appreciate that not everyone has a 'valentine', it would be perfect if they did but for me, there are lots of 'special' days of the year that for different reasons, some people can't enjoy and they're quite painful for some...it's hard for some people to enjoy Christmas and there are good reasons for it but it's still the right thing for everyone who does enjoy it, to do so etc and it doesn't mean they don't have empathy, it's just that it's good for us all to have 'feel good' stuff as well and if we are lucky enough to have someone in our lives that makes everything brighter and generally makes us better people etc, I don't really mind if there's a special day to celebrate that, it's not that we need it, it's just ..why not, sort of thing...I also think that it's not just about romantic love but maybe doing something for someone who has just been generally great in your life....and that could be anyone...

..but yeah, like everything as you say...things can be good or not so good, depending on perspectives, which is why I hate the commercial/advertising part of anything...(I think I just overthink things..:laugh:...)...

Totally agree with this, we never do anything on Valentines Day, if hubby wants to buy me flowers he can do it when he feels like it not when the date on the calender tells him to or vice versa. Same with Mothers day I refuse to go out :joker:

I don't like valentines day either,I don't like doing anything for it and I don't want gifts.I'm not a very lovey person :spin: I agree with Kate

We don't really tend to celebrate Valentines day due to personal reason on my part it's not a good day for me.

Years ago we used to go out/go away for the weekend or do other things for it, and sometimes we still get each other just a card, all depends really.

If others want to enjoy the day for what it is though then fair play to them and yeah it is over commercialised now but so is most other things tbh.

And you call Matt grumpy, think you all need to form a grumpy old men club.

I give one to Gav and I usually get one from Gav and Luke

..yeah, I think that's the thing in that any day could be a really difficult day for someone because of their own personal associations but I think the thing with specific 'special' days is that it's the media thing of kind of rubbing it in that it's for other people a lovely/happy day and that only heightens and negative associations, which it doesn't so much on an average day that has no meaning to anyone else specifically...for me personally, apart from the obvious day it is, it does also have a special and personal meaning, so what we do is always personal to us...mind you, we're not so 'sentimental and loved up' in that if there is a six nations match that day, that does have to take priority..but that's just common sense really...

...awww, I loved the ones that the boys used to make at school...

yeah, they're so sweet, i don't have many more years of those left though :(

..hmmm, maybe not of the school years but you have lots of years of you still being his 'valentine'...even when he has a romantic one, your place in his heart is sealed....

I have a lot of love to give

I'm sorry for being grumpy lol.

:D

I'm just a humbug! Xx

- prepares Valentines thread. -

Awwwwwwwwwwwww

..you weren't being grumpy, you do have a good point, like all days it is only a perspective that gives it meaning and that can be negative or positive...and yeah, the commercial stuff is a nightmare but I guess it's supply and demand like everything...