February, the month of love.

Ah February, the shortest and often the coldest month of the year. I love February for the skiing, for rib-sticking hot food and wearing tall boots with my skirts and dresses.  Sitting with my kids while I enjoy a mocha drink and them their hot chocolates is a perfect activity during this cold winter month.

This is also the month that advertisers suddenly are reminded that they have a heart and want to share it with you. The ads will be heart-warming; the colors of red and pink will be seen everywhere and the words love, forever, roses, diamonds and chocolates will weave a haze of happiness so thick, you may be glad to see the end of the month. It is not that I don't enjoy Valentines, but sometimes it takes on a quality of consumerism that feels tacky.

I have done some light reading as to why chocolates, diamonds and the rest are ubiquitous to February 14th, or Valentines Day, often causing much surprise and heart ache each and every year in every culture that celebrates it.  The answer seems to be lost in myth but the idea of giving a gift or poem appears to be one of shrewd marketing.  At first this seems a bit depressing, at least to me, when you suddenly discover that you are but a lemming by nature and following the whims of a good marketer, but think again.  How many ideas exist that become annual celebrations, that inspire people to reach out and take a risk giving away chocolates, diamonds and the red heart shaped cards on one day a year?  Not many. Will we see the iPad seven centuries from today?  It is highly unlikely.  And how many of us celebrate Grandparents day?  Yes, there is a day for that, and I love my grandparents but I have never celebrated this day.  Have you? After all, we celebrate Valentines Day which includes every family member you can find.

So it was a brilliant marketing idea. It was created on our own need to share for one day out of the year, your feelings for someone else.  So upon reflection, Valentines Day and celebrations like it ( for some reason I can only think of  the Super Bowl as an example) share this desire to connect that is well outside of the marketing hype. Valentines Day, in spite of its over-the-top commercialism, is a day created by you and me.

So treat yourself and others too, to chocolates, or wine in paper cups on a bench overlooking the ocean, or a diamond for yourself, because you have to show yourself the love too.  Happy Valentines Day.