Valentine's Day is coming!

I've been watching all the Valentine's day hoopla now ever since Christmas week was over! The Santa's and reindeer were shoved to one corner in all of the stores to make room for all of the plush teddy bears and heart shaped boxes. The snowmen shaped chocolates were discounted and moved almost out of sight and out came the rose shaped chocolates and cupid paper wrapped gooey treats. The Valentine cards have been out almost as long as all of the other cute little items and the jewelry stores made over their commercials to catch your heart. Yep! Valentine's Day is definitely coming soon!!

Don't get me wrong. I am a romantic just like any other female on this planet. I love the chocolates, the teddy bears and jewelry. In fact, I MAKE and SELL jewelry! I am hoping with all I've got that someone will BUY my jewelry! That's not quite where I'm going here.

I feel as though the real romance has been lost on Valentine's Day. There is no need to think about it. The stores hand you the cards with the words you are to say to your sweetheart. Then they tell you here are some tempting chocolates and flowers (it must be roses). You might want to add a nice stuffed animal or an expensive piece of jewelry (watch TV for the special piece for this year). Tradition says you should then go to dinner (the more expensive you can afford, the better), dancing is optional. You will notice that this all sounds like the man is expected to do all the spending except for the card. If you are married, living together or have some other special arrangement, the woman might like to indulge in pretty lingerie to surprise her mate, but here again the man may be expected to do the purchasing in some relationships. I rarely see anything special laid out for woman to buy and do for men.

AND really, where IS the romance in all of this? The stores and the media and even our own society have brought us to the point that Valentine's Day has come with expectations. Every year its the same ones, too. How is that romantic? I find romance in the little things, the surprises and in doing for my husband.

Hey everyone! Why not plan a picnic in February? Go to your local zoo? Spend the night at home dancing in your living room to your favorite music and drinking Champagne? Go ice skating? How about hiking and hold hands for once in a long time? Why not try going to www.etsy.com to purchase handmade items which will be different than the standard store bought items? I'm sure everyone can think of things that they haven't done in a long time together or maybe never together that could be made into a romantic time. Romance isn't chocolate and jewelry or even a sexy encounter. It can be a quiet moment shared or time together that you wouldn't normally set aside because you have a busy life. It can be what the stores and traditions have made it, too.

Just remember to make it YOUR feeling, Your moment, YOUR romance!

Thanks for checking out my view from the sidecar!

Wendy