Rediscover the Valentine's magic

Rant: Love isn't scarce, contrary to all those cynics and pessimists out there.

‘The perfect words never crossed my mind because there was nothing in there but you’. Valentine’s Day gives the shy among us a chance to find words that we cannot find alone to express how truly, madly, deeply in love we really are. Even if those words come straight from Hallmark.

We complain about Valentine’s Day and the way it is commercialised but why can’t we just appreciate the thought behind it? Maybe the commercialisation of Valentine’s Day isn’t the issue, maybe we have become so focused on materialism that we’re replacing love with commodities.

The commercialisation of Valentine’s Day by card companies and businesses out to make a profit does not make St. Valentine’s Day any less romantic than it should be. Business will try to commercialise anything, including the birth of Jesus! But only we can allow the magic to be taken away from a truly captivating day. We have to learn to look beyond the present whether it be a romantic weekend away or a simple handmade card, and look at the though and the love which it was sent with.
 
Like John, who spent the days previous to Valentine’s Day, pacing his bedroom floor, trying to think of the most romantic sentence he could say to his darling Marie.  He decided on arriving at her door with a single red rose and through an irresistible smile, he declared to Marie ‘I’m crazy about you. Be My Valentine.’

‘Johnny’ she replied, whilst slowly lifting the crimson red rose out of his hand ‘Don’t you know me enough to know that I don’t buy into commercial holidays‘. She then hit the rose over him until the petals fell off. John was crushed and not just by the smack of the front door.

But luckily for Johnny he found love again the following year. He decided to write his crush a song. In it he made himself vulnerable and put himself on the line by writing down his innermost feelings. Again he arrived at her door and handed the pink envelope to Laura. She read the song and a hint of a smile appeared, she was speechless and overcome with excitement whilst wondering what his present was. Poor Johnny boy got another nose whooping from the mahogany door when he told the very materialistic Laura that the song was her present!

The commercialisation of Valentine’s Day is wrong as it’s a holy day and it should be treated as so. Now, that doesn’t mean that you and your sweetie munchkin hit the 7pm mass but the day should be respected by spreading love, romance and passion and keeping it alive. Because romance is the fuel that keeps love adoring but true love is what we have when we take away the cheese and the sappy gestures. If you’re not willing to risk it all then you don’t want something bad enough, so the commercialisation of Valentine’s Day should be irrelevant.

Just remember, love wasn’t put in our hearts to stay for love isn’t love till you give it away!

By: Claire Finnegan