by Alex Samson

Created on: February 01, 2009   Last Updated: February 05, 2009

Valentine's Day. If you ask me the whole day is one big error of judgment. It's yet more evidence of a Hallmark Holiday world gone nuts. Why do we believe that showering the one we love in pink paraphernalia is a romantic gesture?

Maybe I'm a grumpy Englishman who just doesn't get it in the States I understand they now put up Valentine's day decorations hearts and other mushy nonsense in and around the house, a pink tree in the house! Over here we are fortunately still at the teddy bears, cards and balloons stage all of which are a massive error of judgment by the way.

I've been marred for nearly seven years now. I have plenty of opportunities to tell my wife that I love her: there's the obvious celebrations such as her birthday, Christmas, and our anniversary. But then there's also every day. We don't need balloons and teddies clutching hearts to express our feelings, especially in these financially precarious times. Who in their right mind would waste their hard-earned cash on Valentine's gifts this year. would that not constitute an error of judgment?

Valentine's day does present an opportunity for those of us who are still single to make contact with that certain special someone. It's a great ice-breaker. But if your a guy and you've got your eye on a certain gal at work, college, the local club, etc, you don't need a secretly written card and a box of chocolate hearts, you need some balls. Don't sneak around like some elusive Milk Tray man; get in their and ask her out. She's going to appreciate a good night out (dinner and a movie for example) with the real you, rather than an anonymous card from a faceless admirer which, let's face it, would seem downright peculiar and creepy on any other day of the year.

This probably all sounds a little harsh, but card companies and retail in general have been getting away with this rubbish for too long. I used to work in retail. Our entire year was run by and dominated by what what we called the 'Hallmark List', a schedule of the key holidays and celebrations that made up the year: Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, Father's Day, National Book Day, Easter, Love Your Puppy Day. Okay, okay, I made the last one up, but the point is this: retail is dominated by the holiday schedule. That means every time you walk in a shop you are being sold to by this stuff. It's so in your face that you can't help but feel compelled to dip your hand in your pocket to buy a fluffy heart, or box of chocolates.

As I finish this piece I'm sitting trying to remember a time in my youth when I was more open to the whole Valentine's hoopla when Valentine's Day ended in anything but embarrassment. I was a serial poet, you see, and for a long time I believed literature was the way to a young girl's heart. Talk about your errors of judgment! Today there's less poetry but I am happily married, so something changed for the better.

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