Valentine's Day. While some people are all about the chocolate and flowers, my husband and I basically consider it to be just another day. Now, when we were dating, it was different: he'd give me flowers, I'd give him chocolate. But when you've been married for nearly 20 years, well, it begins to feel silly showing all this love on a specific day.
I've discovered talking to other longtime married couples that they feel the same.
This is basically what Valentine's Day is like for them. And us.
1.
Sometimes couples completely forget it even is Valentine's Day. This happened to us one year. I was all, "Wait, is today Valentine's Day?" and my husband replied, "I think it is. Yeah. So. Happy Valentine's Day."
2.
No one wants to cook. I see all these posts on elaborate meals, and my husband and I chuckle because it's not us. At all. I asked him, "Are you cooking on Valentine's Day?" and he went, "I wasn't planning on it. You?" I was like, "No." So we'll probably order pizza.
3.
A new tube of toothpaste might be considered a Valentine's Day gift. "Oh here, didn't you say you needed more Crest?" I once went to Tom, and he replied, "Yes, thank you."
4.
Staying home is a popular choice. No one wants to battle crowds. Most of the food is rushed because the restaurants are full, so it's not always the greatest. Why spend a bunch of money on that? Couples begin to get practical as they get older, I've found.
5.
Oh, and comfort wins. There's no fancy Valentine's Day outfits. I'll probably be in a hoodie. My husband will probably be in his Perry the Platypus sweats. Lingerie is another unnecessary expense. I might actually wear my underwear without the holes, and that's the extent of Valentine's Day.
So this is what my husband and I usually do: we exchange cards if we remember. I tell him NO flowers or chocolate. Why? Because I can go out the next day and get that same chocolate 50% off.
If he's able to get off work, we'll go out for lunch. It's not as crowded if you go out for lunch on Valentine's Day. Sometimes restaurants give you free chocolate. This is mostly why we go.
We don't put any stress on the day, because we can show love whenever we want, not when Hallmark dictates it.
So what about you? What are you Valentine's Day plans?