People vs. Confectionary

With Valentine's Day looming on the horizon, as I am constantly reminded every time I walk through the grocery store, I thought I would write a post concerning my thoughts on that particular over-hyped Hallmark Holiday of paramount guilt and anxiety.


In case anyone was left in doubt of my feelings toward the holiday by that last sentence, let me be clear -- I do not care for Valentine's Day in general.  It is, or at least has become, merely an excuse to collect candy, flowers, and an array of useless objects in pink or red which are usually found in other colors.  How many Pepto-Bismol-colored teddy bears does one girl need?  Personally I'm under the impression that one is too many.  To my shame, this trend seems to be perpetuated primarily by women, resulting in frequent February sightings of distressed men and boys wandering about the mall laden with various bits of bric-a-brac and expressions of anxiety and gloom.


Now, just so I'm not misunderstood, I am a woman, also a bit of a romantic, believe it or not.  I like chocolate, and I adore getting flowers... pink or red stuffed animals not so much.  But I would rather get them from my husband spontaneously, because he thought of me and wanted to, than on a specific day because he felt compelled.  I'd also rather be taken out to eat on a random weekday evening at a quiet restaurant than have to make reservations a month ahead and spend the meal having to shout in order to be heard.  On our first Valentine's Day together, my now-husband presented me with a machete.  I like to think that's when I knew we had something special.


To continue in a similar vein, I also don't understand the urge (prevalent among the romantically attached) of referring to each other as pieces of confectionary.  I clearly remember nearly taking an ex's head off for referring to me as "cupcake".  Once again, I like eating cupcakes as much as the next girl, but I have a distinct aversion to being compared to one.  Wrong shape, and not even edible except to cannibals, which I hope you are not, thank you very much. 

Merry Christmas

I suspect this will be my last post before Christmas, because I fully intend to be deliciously lazy this weekend.  Making dinner tonight for some of the family, then spending Christmas Eve with Aaron's family and Christmas day with mine.  It's helpful that we live right between the two -- just under half an hour either direction, even in the snow.  By the way, so happy to have a real white Christmas this year, after last year's grey drizzliness.


I have yet to wax very religious or political on this blog, and I don't really intend to start now, at least not from a persuasive point of view, because I am not arrogant enough to suppose that my beliefs and opinions should automatically be foisted off on everyone else.  I think and believe them, obviously, and care very much about them, but I hope I am respectful enough of everyone else to realize that they care very much about what they think and believe as well.  I am also of the opinion that action should come before words.  I have found too many people perfectly willing to try to convince others to become like themselves, when they were about the last people I would wish to become like.  However, in case anyone was wondering... in the instance of faith, I am a Protestant-Catholic morph-child, of both worlds and of neither.  In all honesty, I don't think God cares so much what you call yourself as long as it's really Him you're serving.  (One of my favorite quotes: "Giving God good advice and abusing the devil isn't praying.")  As far as politics are concerned, I am an independent.  Yes, I voted for Obama, knowing he was a man and not a god.  In my opinion, Sarah Palin is an insult to all intelligent women. You won't offend me by wishing me Happy Holidays, if I know you're Jewish I'll say Happy Hanukkah, and I hope you won't be offended with me if I'm uncertain of your beliefs and wish you Merry Christmas out of habit.


In any case, now that that's all been said, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and thanks to everyone who comes back to read this blog even when I go off on tangents.  Cheers!