Another reason I don't like Valentine'* Day is that my sons dad was killed on 02/12/99

I dont like valentines, because no matter what I do, I feel as if I must outdo the last years gift etc.

And that thing about society shaping our world? F*** That!!

Whatever I do in my life, is not bound by what society thinks about me, or what I think about society!!!

Heck yes. Trendy people that base there life on impressing others and worring about what others "think" about them **** me off. All my friends say i'm wierd cause I want to move way out in the sticks. They say its not healthy or normal. Screw that. Then i've got a cousin who keeps on buying V6 Mustangs because people think they are cool. He then has the nerve to critisize what I drive and tells me I should buy a real sports car. That little **** couldn't tell a real sports car if it jumped up and bit him in the a$$.

As WillWren said long ago.

Perhaps you need to explain to your friend that his "sports car" is just like a Honda wtih a bookshelf wing on the back. All show, no go.

Dude, dude, duuuuude..... That'* the biggest trap there is, no matter the occasion. When you get older, and learn to translate a little bit of "woman" into normal language, you'll realize that statement is a warning for what you mentioned in the latter part of your post. It basically translates to "I don't care what we do, as long as I can brag to my girlfriends about it"

Poor kids, thinking women actually speak the same language as guys do...

This Valentines Day, as much as I personally could give a rip about any holiday, I'm stuck in a bad place. With me being unemployed for over a month now, The Missus is a little stressed. Having no job, I have no place to run and hide (too cold, and obvious, in the garage) so I am the target for her stress relief. So, even though the bills are getting paid, I am doing my male best not to make a mess of the house, and the dishes have even been done a couple of times, I am in the doghouse big time. So, I gotta get her something. Problem is, I don't want to get her anything sharp or heavy, for obvious reasons....

Hoov, what your girlfriend is actually saying "I want a nice dinner, roses and some sort of jewelry" In your mind you think you are safe....NO WAY. Now you don't have to go out and get her really expensive jewelry, you don't even have to get her jewelry (if you want brownie points you will). But you do have to get the flowers and dinner, and I don't mean dinner from McDonald'* or something like that.

Take her out for dinner, to a nice sit down place, that had more on the menu than just burgers. What she wants is to beable to to brag to her friends what her boyfriend got for her.

Okay, I do not go for the whole Valentines thing, actually PDad and I do nothing for Valentines day, haven't done anything for years. We would rather have a special day when we are on holidays, or when the kids are staying with grandparents. Valentines day is for the kids at school, and for new couples, certainly not couples who have been married for almost 16 years.

Given the concepts presented in this thread, could the same thing be applied to other holidays?

- Christmas: You shouldn't give gifts and spend time with loved ones because you should be sharing and spreading joy all year round.

- Halloween: Why have a night to go get candy? You can get it at any time of the year.

- Martin Luther King Jr. Day: Why spend one day embracing equality and acceptance. We should do this everyday.

See what I'm saying?

While we should give the same amount to our significant others all the time, it doesn't mean that V-day is a flop of a holiday. It'* just one significant day of the year to remind us what we have. Same goes for the purpose of every holiday.

My g/f and I aren't crazy about V-day, but we going to keep it simple and make a nice dinner for each other. I'll also get her some flowers.

biggest point here is:

V-Day, Christmas, T-Day, etc are all days that have their own significance. what to keep in mind is that being good on one of these days [or showing love, whatever] doesnt give you the right to be a jerk any other day.

and i think most people realise this fact. that said, V-day is cheesy at best and painful at worst [for those that have been hurt], but if its expected of you to participate, either participate or suffer whatever consequences your bitter half arbitrarily decides to subject you to.