Why Does Valentine’s Day Always Suck The Day After?

Alright, so you’ve made some great plans with your significant other for Valentine’s Day. They suit your dating style and personality perfectly. You go on the date, have a wonderful time, you exchange sweet gifts with them, and you probably get lucky. So why is it that for the next week, you start thinking how blah or crappy it was?

Blame Your Friends

Odds are, that there is at least one friend in your social circle in a higher income bracket than yourself. Avoid these people as much as possible until ideally after St. Patrick’s Day. Why? Because the n ext time you see that person, you are going to be stuck hearing about how their partner surprised them with a last minute getaway and a ridiculously expensive and usually inappropriate gift. If you wait until after St. Patrick’s Day on March 17, then another holiday will have passed that you can focus your discussions on, and hopefully they will have forgotten the fact that they hadn’t told you about their AMAZZZZZING Valentine’s Day.

Really, it’s just going to make you feel like shit for not being able to afford something equally awesome for your partner, whom you love just as much. It’s like forcing your mate to sit through the Notebook. You both end up in a bad mood because one of you thinks, “Why can’t we have a love like that?” and the other one is thinking, “F*** Nicholas Sparks and his unrealistic expectations of love. Has he ever BEEN in love??”

Blame the Media

The only thing worse than hearing your friends talk about their awesome V-Day, is hearing news outlets and social media talk about it. I guarantee that you hear at least one evening news fluff piece on some cute and quirky marriage proposal more suited for Zooey Deschanel than average people in the real world.  You’ll also have to suffer through your local AM DJ’s discussing horrible Valentine’s dates, or amazing ones, yada yada yada. You get where I am going with this. Unfortunately, I have no advice on how to stop this, as you can’t very well hide under a blanket in bed for two weeks….Or can you?

Blame Corporations

You know Valentine’s Day wouldn’t be so bad if it wasn’t for the fact that every single store has a Valentine-themed display, and bigger companies such as Hallmark and Florists capitalize on the day by almost doubling their prices. If you could get away with a cute, homemade card and some baked goodies, think of how much easier it would be! But that won’t happen, because big companies can’t make money off of it. The fact that they push it in our faces on a daily basis leading up to it puts pressure on us to find the perfect card, gift, flower, whatever to give to our loved one. If we don’t it is implied that we love them less.
What To Do

Personally, I refuse to spend a ridiculous amount of money on some Valentine card when I can make a more thoughtful and heartfelt one myself. You don’t even need to be creative to do it! I also hate getting flowers. My ideal Valentine’s Day would be a bottle of wine and the two uf us cooking a kickass meal together. THAT is what I would splurge on.  As long as your gift/plan has got meaning for you both, that’s what counts. And that is exactly my point. As frustrating as it may be to be surrounded by all this noise during the holiday, all you really need to do is focus on what YOUR PARTNER would appreciate. In the end, no one else matters but the two of you, and you wouldn’t let your family or friends dictate your relationship would you? Don’t let these guys either, they’ll jut ruin what would be otherwise, a sweet, romantic day.

Kirsten Howell

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I am Kirsten Howell, relationship blogger for Xpress.com/Personals/. I am working towards a degree in Human Behavior, and sometimes I blur the line between work and social. Navigating the tricky world of relationships, one day at a time, and sharing my knowledge and experiences for your amusement!

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