***Side Note: Sometimes, just don't ask any questions because the answers will, most likely, not make since to you or just seem pretty ridiculous but it's their viewpoint so you have to respect it.***
I told him he didn't tell me why and why are men always scared they will have to spend some money. Well, my friends, I was told, ehem, "It's like Christmas. It ain't your birthday so why all the gifts?", then he proceeds to say that hopefully he's shown his love year round and women always trying to get money spent on them. smh...
Well, here is my perspective on any holiday or special day set aside to recognize a particular purpose or cause. Valentine's Day does have very specific historical meaning. For me to get into St. Valentine and why the day exist will be too cumbersome. Besides, I have written about that before in detail and I'd rather not get into that now. You all are big boys and girls and can research that at your leisure. The truth is we acknowledge these days and celebrate as symbolic gestures to stop and remember the important things of life. Well, most holidays have some greater symbolic meaning and all we do is pause to acknowledge it. Have these days become commercialized? Surely, they have but they have become more commercial by those who are generating income from these day and not everyone focuses on the monetary "inconvenience" it may impose. For some reason, the monetary "inconvenience is amplified on days where some people are encouraged to purchase or just show appreciation for someone else with a gift of some kind. Doesn't have to be a huge expensive gift but a simple acknowledgement. I have heard people fight so hard against Christmas and Valentines Day because "IT'S COMMERCIAL" and "IT'S ALL ABOUT MONEY".
For example: a person will spend an entire paycheck to buy food for one day, sit around participating in gluttony and sloth and say that it's all in the name of THANKSGIVING. Saying a prayer before dinner doesn't cancel out the fact that you just spent your rent money on food you're gonna scarf down in a few hours. How about all the Halloween candy and party favors? 4th of July cookout fixin's and decorations? What about St. Patrick's Day? PEOPLE WHO AREN'T EVEN IRISH WILL CELEBRATE THIS BUT GIVE VALENTINE'S DAY THE BUSINESS.
Well, Christmas' gift giving tradition stems from the gifts given to the Christ Child and grew to be symbolic as sign of showing love towards friends and family in celebration to the gift that was given to the world. No one ever said a dime had to be spent. As the world has changed, the love of money has taken root in may and has tainted the meaning of these days. Yes, we should love and acknowledge our friends and family daily but with the hustle and bustle of everyday, we, sometimes, take for granted the people who are important to us so these days are like a reminder in society's calendar to stop and say "I love you." Valentine's Day is about love. It appears to me, sometimes, that even when we try to stop and focus on love, people still let the worry of money cause them to restrict their ability to show love on the day set aside for that purpose alone. The flowers are wonderful. The dinners are great. Trinkets are pretty. Gifts are wonderful and yes, women like to receive gifts. Who doesn't? All I can say on Valentine's Day is even if you show love everyday, Valentine's Day shouldn't cause such a problem, now, should it? The people who never show love may have a problem because now the focus is put on them to step out of who they are to do something out of their comfort zone. Bottom line, men don't want to feel like they are being made to buy something to show they love someone and women are emotional creatures and SOMETIMES an act of love and appreciation goes a long way with us.
