Valentines Day is a scam

I'd say that its one of those scams that are so obvious that I feel no pity for the suckers who get taken. If you think that you can catch-up for a year's worth of inattentiveness regarding the state of your love life via conspicuous gifting during a single day - then you deserve to have your wallet emptied by opportunistic retailers and restaurateurs. You also deserve the obligatory, unsatisfying sexual walkthrough that will likely conclude the evening.

Of course it is, but with the right scene setting, it can be a very rewarding day for both parties. I give her flowers and chocolate and hopefully she shows here appreciation in some particularly decadent manner....

I'm still confused at how the feast day of a little known saint could turn into what we today know as (Saint) Valentine's Day. According to the following website, http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/Valentines Day/, it isn't even necessarily known who Valentine was. Because of this confusion as to what was even being celebrated, the Catholic Church stopped celebrating St. Valentine's Day as an official church feast day in 1969.

When i was growing up, my mother was cool about dealing with these types of holidays. She said she did not want anything for Valentines Day, Mothers Day, or birthdays. It was cool she was this way because some women can be very dramatic about little things. She would of rather appriciated things like cleaning the house, or cooking compared to gifts.

I am not a fan of Valentine's Day. My Husband and I agreed years ago to forget about this day. We do nice things for each other during the year which is much nicer. I agree that Valentines day can be a scam when you look at how much the flower, candy shops jack up the price.I hate to say this but I have no doubt that there are some women out there who expect to be wined and dined on this day or else. I am not one of them.

I never get the right flowers. Getting a good restraunt reservation is a pain. I never get the right gift. I need help. Is there a book? (I'm not kidding - send suggestions.) Birthdays are a home-run for me, but count me in as a member of the Valentine's-Day-is-a-scam crowd.

My partner and I always have a great time on Valentines. I normally do little things throughout the year to show how I feel about him, but Valentines is great. I've cooked 3 course meals for him, bought him a nice silver ring with a little diamond in it and last year I took him back to my hometown and we had the most gorgeous hotelroom that had a private balcony that gave us a great view of the marina. My partner took me to Prague, bought me photographic equipment that I've needed, etc etc. I think its a great thing to celebrate as it gives you the excuse to push the boat out and show your partner how much you love them still.

Valentines Day is only a scam if you ALLOW it to be. Celebrating it with the right person in your own way can be wonderful. There is no need to cave in to crass commercialism on this or any other holiday.

How is this a scam? I mean, beyond grade school when everyone is required to bring in those cheesey little valentines to hand out, you really aren't required to celebrate this holiday. And, if you do, just give a card or go out to dinner. If you care for someone you don't have to spend a fortune to say so.

I admit I believe to a certain extent this is true. But this is where the chivlary in me comes out. Women are usually going to do more for their male counterpart as the years go by. They are just built that way. They do the little things for us EVERY DAY, so I dont have a problem with those two-three days a year when we have to make a fuss over our ladies. Those few days of acting like a great guy (LOL) keep you in her good graces for weeks after the fact! Women are really wonderful that way.

One day a year where a man is a jerk if he doesn't break with the gifts.

Yeah, I agree, Valentine's Day is a crock. It's a specific day set aside where a guy is obligated to show how much he likes you. Where's the romance in that? To shower someone with thoughtless, frilly gifts that are so generic that they lose all meaning? My ex used to give me the most embarrassing, super-sized card on Valentine's Day, and the biggest, gaudiest box of chocolates that he could find. Hell, I don't even eat that much chocolate, I had that damn box for months and still had most of it left when I finally threw it out. And the jewelry . . . I don't even like wearing much jewelry. (Guess he was too busy cheating on me to care to get to know me.) Its like heres your present, that should make up for the other 364 days of the year. Nah, that sucks, I'd rather it be more meaningful, something that says that he thought of me, like surprising me and taking me out to the reservoir and having a picnic or something.

Who came up with this holiday? Everytime I hear a commercial near Valentine's Day, it always Men get her this, Men get her that. What do men get?

It may be designed more for retailer's cash registers than for earnest expression, but most couples don't mind going through the typical Valentine's Day motions. Not every husband will feel its an unwelcome ritual, especially if he gets sex and dinner in return. I think the people who resent the holiday the most are the ones who unfortunately don't have anyone to share it with, and I feel for these folks the most.