The Gift Exchange

When I was a little girl I loved Valentine’s Day. Days before February 14^th came I would beg my mom to let me spend a good hour in the store picking out the perfect box of Valentine’s Day cards for my class at school. When I got home I would sprawl my treasure trove of Lion King cards out on the table and eyeball each and every one to match it with the perfect friend. Then, when the day came, school would be full of pink cupcakes and conversation hearts from teachers, the bus driver, and whoever my elementary-school boyfriend was at the time (I was pretty hot stuff when I was 9).

When I was a teenager I couldn’t stand Valentine’s Day. Every year from middle school-high school we had a designated “Send Your Sweetie a Gift” day.. where you could pay a dollar for either a can of Crush orange soda (for the person you had a “crush” on), or for a chocolate rose to be delivered to your sweetheart. People always made sure they brought enough money to send every guy and girl they knew at least one, and on Valentine’s Day the teachers would pass out to each person what everyone had bought them. I always felt sorry for myself and all of the kids that didn’t get anything. NOT that I didn’t ever get anything…. because I did… (yes, I sent things to myself).

When I became an adult I flat out despised Valentine’s Day. I would end up sitting at home on my couch with some girl friends and we would watch romance movies, which only added to our depression and self-pity, and we would stuff ourselves full of ice cream and comfort food. This, to us, was a way of saying, “We don’t need love anyway!” Which, in secret, was an excuse for us to sulk and talk for hours about how pathetic we were and how we wish we had someone to hold us. Girls.

Today, although I will forever have a Love to send gifts and treats to on February 14^th, I still keep in mind all of the times I never wanted to hear the word “Valentine” again. This is a holiday that can sometimes leave people feeling lonely and unloved, and it’s so important to think of every one around you. This doesn’t just have to be a day to tell your partner how much they mean to you, it can be a day that you tell your best friend, grandfather, or the old widow next door that you care about them more than they realize. Send a little something to each person that you care about this Valentine’s Day, and heal a few broken hearts.

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