Valentine's Day & Commercialism Yadda Yadda Yadda

Last Man Standing has a very funny episode in which Mike--who never gives gifts or cards on Valentine's Day because he thinks the whole thing is a sham--surprises Vanessa by giving her a Valentine's Day gift. 

Blue Bloods has an episode where the single members of the family get together on Valentine's Day for a dinner, after Nikki realizes she went too far trying to set up her mother with her mother's boss.

Both good episodes--but I confess, I don't get it. I've never seen Valentine's Day as some kind of unfair, evil holiday that is trying to make single people feel bad. I don't see it as all-important. But I don't see it as something set up to make me feel personally lacking. (And it is an excuse to buy chocolate.) 

I also don't get upset about the commercial aspect since I don't believe in "pure" holidays anyway. The moment the printing press made cards replicable and reasonably cheap and more than 2 people started sending them, entrepreneurs said, "Oh, hey, that could make us money!"

Shoot, the moment Caveperson 1 gave Caveperson 2 a pebble, someone started marketing pebbles. 

We are all Ferengi at heart.

Of course, I never saw Mother's Day as a con either, and I object in a vague general kind of way to people turning it into Women's Day. If a culture is truly diverse, it can handle all the holidays and festivals, invented and inherited, that people throw out there. 

In 1897, Catherine Mossday sent a Valentine's card. It wasn't merely a card sent on Valentine's--it directly evokes the day or season. It held the following message:

“Mr Brown, As I have repeatedly requested you to come I think you must have some reason for not complying with my request, but as I have something particular to say to you I could wish you make it all agreeable to come on Sunday next without fail and in doing you will oblige your well wisher.”

Maybe people would complain less about the holiday if Hallmark tried those sentiments!