Valentine’s Day is upon us once again and I’m here to let you off the hook. Not that you need my permission, because you sure as hell don’t, but in case you are looking for permission from someone, anyone, here it is.
It’s 100% OK not to turn Valentine’s Day into some giant shit show. If you need it to be low-key or even non-existent in your home, go for it and don’t feel bad about it.
I’m not saying this because I am one of those people who believe it’s just some “Hallmark holiday” because, if we are being completely honest here, all holidays are Hallmark holidays. Bunnies, eggs, and candy at Easter? Elves, reindeer, and chocolate at Christmas? Yeah, that is all just made up shit. No, I’m telling you this because you shouldn’t feel it’s necessary to celebrate all the things all the time. It’s not.
If you are tired, burned out, and really not feeling the whole “cupid in a diaper” love this time of year, then in the immortal words of Elsa…Let. It. Go.
Worried that your kids will feel disappointed and left out? I’m sure you have Oreos in the pantry. Let them eat them for breakfast. The whole damn box if they want to. Call it a special Valentine’s Day treat and they will talk about it for years to come. Make a deal with your spouse that this year (and maybe all of them) you are just going to go out to dinner sometime in February and call it good. Or just order a pizza. Make it fancy and spring for all the extra toppings.
Life is full right now and to top it off we have just come off of Christmas and New Year’s and probably did all the celebrating then. Sometimes one more thing is just one thing too many, but when you see the ads and the paraphernalia in the stores, it’s hard to make peace with the idea of not participating. But trust me when I say that if you are feeling over it and can manage to let it pass you by, it is such a relief. The pressure we put on ourselves to conform and perform is crazy.
And hey, maybe you are one of those people who lives from holiday to holiday. You have your heart-shaped garland strung around the bannisters, specialty chocolates on order and have already moved on and are planning how many pots of gold you are going to sprinkle around your home for St. Patrick’s Day. Good for you. If that brings you joy, go for it!
Just let the rest of us skip the festivities without any judgement, m’kay?
