Tag: Valentine’s Day

Snow globes, bubble wands, vibrating love bugs, flowers, sexy lingerie, heart-shaped dog bowls.

These are only a handful of Valentine’s Day gifts I’ve come across when browsing the shops recently. Did I mention the heart-shaped dog bowls?!

Gone are the days when a single note was enough to show the ones you love how you feel. And now, it’s estimated that individually people spend up to £150 every year on Valentine’s Day. As soon as Christmas is over, shop windows are laden with pink and red, gifts that you’ll buy and present to the person who may or may not be ‘the one’.

I may sound cynical but I too got sucked into the love bubble that surrounds this so-called happy and celebratory day. In 2009, I bought my boyfriend of 4 months (oh, the shame) a watch costing, yes you guessed it, £150. I am not proud of this decision, but at the time I stupidly believed he was the one for me. It’s fair to say that two years later, he’s gone and so is my immaturity.

Anyway, I spent £150 on something he had asked for and what did I get in return? A “romantic” meal for two, a teddy bear and some jewellery, I am far from the ungrateful type but I’m not the lovey-dovey teddy bear type either! Ultimately, it ruined whatever feeling I had towards the day anyway.

Having grown up a lot since then, I have come to realise that the time of love letters and minute but significant gestures is over, replaced with a day that feels like an excuse to get us to part with even more money.

There are thousands of people that will probably disagree with me, believing it’s a day dedicated to celebrating love, almost like an anniversary, but the way you feel for another shouldn’t be kept for just one day and presents aren’t going to emphasise it either so how about skipping it this year?

No, I didn’t think so. Well okay, just don’t let romanticism get swept away with the time. Oh and one last thing, if you’re planning on spending £150, let him know what you’d like before you buy that watch he’s been lusting over…