Ranty Friday, or maybe not?

I normally post a rant on a Friday, I supposed this is a bit ranty, so lets call it that.

I find the whole thing commercialised, and excessive. I have had a number of e-mails from various companies that I subscribe too, suggesting expensive and over the top gifts for Valentines day to “show them you love them” and all that nauseating nonsense. (Although I did forward the “buy her an engraved iPad for Valentines Day” mail to LSH, because he KNOWS how much I want one, and he just laughed in reply, so that was a FAIL, then! 😉 )

Really, do we need a day in the year, to spend money, and make this huge effort to tell the person we are supposed to love the other 364 days of the year, how much they mean to us?
LSH and I have known each other for 18 years, married for 13 of those. He has seen me looking like a chipmunk after I had my wisdom teeth removed, he supported me through nursing college, when I worked all the hours under the sun, and battled through assignments, he went to Tiffany’s in New York, when he was on business,  to buy me something, ever so small, just so he could bring me home that special little blue box, he has been there with me, supporting me as I went through months of all day pregnancy sickness, he faithfully brought me home McDonald’s fries and cola every night, when I was so ill, that nothing else would stay down. He was by my side when I had our children, and he stuck with me through post partum depression and other struggles we have had as a family. The man gets up every morning and makes me coffee, even when he doesn’t feel well. He brings me flowers, just “because”. He puts up with my tired, grumpy side, when the sleep deprivation gets bad. He rarely complains, he works hard, he looks after us, and is a brilliant Dad. I don’t need expensive gifts, lots of money spent on me, or any of that. We have love, and we have love every day. Some days, we aren’t very good at showing it, or telling each other, sometimes we get it right.
So, I guess, if other people want to celebrate the day, it’s fine by me, but if you love someone, I would say making sure you tell them you love them every day, show them how much you care for them, often, not just on one day of the year. Why do we need to bend to the commercialism and must spend money mentality that has been created? Maybe it is nice to treat the someone you love, or get them something extra special, but to me, and yes I know I am just being cynical and bah humbug, it is just another money spinner.

Our Valentines consisted of clearing a smashed jar of tomato sauce off the kitchen floor at 7am, then a worse than usual school run in the pouring rain as he cycled off to catch his train and I went off to work, with a grumpy child in tow, and then an sms or two in the day, from me to remind him to get hand soap and bin bags, and from him to ask me when was a good time to Skype his parents tomorrow. We did eat a meal together, and it was the “Valentines” special from a well known supermarket, with a bottle of wine thrown in, and we watched a DVD. That was it. But to be honest, it was perfect, just what we needed, and I wouldn’t want anything more.

(he gave me his chocolate freebies, that he can’t eat, and I got cured meats for our meal starter, because I know he likes it, it MUST be love!) 

So, if you celebrate, then I guess Happy Valentines Day, I hope it was everything you ever desired, but if like a rather large chunk of the population, who seem to agree with me, that it’s a bit over rated, then I say bah humbug, who needs it, and I am off to eat my cookies and read some more rants over at the lovely Mummy Barrow’s blog… Why not join me? Who needs commercialised romance when you can have rants? 🙂