Love day

I think this was the first Valentine's Day where myself and my best girlfriends together all had someone to spend the holiday with. In the past, it seems like someone was always left out. But I'm glad and happy that most people seemed to make the most out of the holiday, even if it was just with friends or family. At work yesterday some of my coworkers came in dressed up; one brought heart shaped donuts and we handed out flowers and chocolate kisses to our tables.

One of my coworkers commented that she liked working on Valentine's day (in the morning at least) because everyone was in a good mood and spirits were up. I had realized that too, there was something in the air and for the first time in years I was able to remember how it felt back in elementary, middle and even high school when it was Valentine's Day. People were just happy and excited to receive flowers, candy, cards. In elementary school it was about looking foward to a day of making bags out of construction paper for people to put valentines in, picking out valentines from the store then going home and sorting through them all to decide who got which one. It was just cute. And it was nice to be reminded of that feeling because it is more fleeting as you get older.

It was also funny shopping that week leading up to the holiday. We were at See's Candy for a good forty-five minutes stuck in line trying to get candy. My friend said one lady she was standing in line with told her she has a box of see's she brings back each year to get refilled and writes in the date for her husband. Apparently, she had been doing it for years. Just a fun tradition. Then at the mall of course it was packed. All the girls trying to buy last minute outfits was funny. Of course, my friends and I were also guilty of purchasing clothing articles or accesories. It got me thinking about how amusing it was. Why is it that girls are always so concerned about getting an outfit for every occasion? So concerned about making sure to purchase the perfect shoes and earrings to match. It is a little obsessive and can get expensive. Yet we still do it.

Well, for one, girls love to shop. There is really no answer I can give as to why. We just do. It is just fun to buy clothes and look cute. As for why we need outfits for every occasion, we just want to impress our boys (or partners or friends, whoever). We like to take care of ourselves and look nice. Of course, however, you do have to draw the line somewhere. Dropping hundreds of dollars just to look nice or keep your significant other interested is a bit over the top. And in the end, as I've said before, confidence is sexy and no one should have to change themselves to impress someone else.

And at the same time, boys, tell your girl she looks nice. Notice when she puts a little extra effort into her appearance and be grateful she wants to look nice for you and that she cares about upkeeping her appearance. And try to do the same. Don't show up to a nice dinner in jeans and a hoodie while she's in heels and a dress.

I talked to people who went all out for Valentine's Day. The whole nine yards. And I talked to people who kept it simple and easy. While Valentine's Day isn't that big of a deal to me, I still enjoy it and see it more of a time just to be thankful for the people you care about in your life and a chance to maybe do something a little extra special to show them your appreciation.