Valentine's Day - do you still do anything special for it?

[JoshandJamie]

I am torn between the following when it comes to Valentines Day:

• Commercial rubbish that tries to enforce romance in your life and in the process spend a fortune on a meal out that you probably don't want because it's ultra chi chi and OTT - not to mention the whole greeting cards and ludicrous gifts thing

• Not celebrating means that I've become an old married person who is too jaded and cynical to get into the spirit of things and that I really need to use these enforced opportunities to reconnect with DH as we barely make time for it normally

Where do you stand? In the recent past I've tried to take the middle ground by doing something romantic for DH on Valentines Day but not necessarily anything obviously commercial. But even that to me has felt false as I feel I should be like that every day rather than just on an imposed holiday.

restaurants are full of young things gazinf inro each other eyes, and pay a lot fo mediocre meal
much betgter to do a nice meal at home and enjoy, and go out another night

We always stay in and i cook us a steak dinner, dp loves steak and i hardly every buy it so this is his treat, the reason i cook it (apart from we cant afford to go out) is because it shows him im willing to go to the effort for him then we gov to bed and cuddle and chat and laugh and it goes on from there

We use this day to remember why we love each other. apart from one year when we both felt under so much pressure for it to be a perfect night we rowed and he went out wont be making that mistake again lol

i think anniversaries are more important, valentines day is for young people that want an excuse to show someone they love that they love them. people who are in long term relationships should make the effort all the time.

my dh buys me a card at the last min and i don't really mind...i may also stop making the effort. The one year he arranged the most beautiful flowers to be delivered i was pg and started to bleed and spent the whole day worrying that i was going to lose the baby.

This year I'll get him a game for his xbox 360 and he can do the ironing. Fun.

what do you mean, "still" ?

we said we wont buy presents but we will go out for a meal its a good reason to blow the diet for the night

we buy each other cards and have a nice dinner.

Before dd1 was born - about 5 years ago - dh took me away to Cornwall for a long weekend. Had a lovely romantic dinner planned for the Valentines day and he ended up eating alone in a room full of ppl as I was so ill with morning/all day sickness - very romantic.

"still"?

waste of money IMO. it's an excuce for restaurants and florists and tat shops to charge twice the price. I don't need hallmark to decide that I should buy flowers.

i got flowers on friday for no reason, then my oh called me on his way home today and suggested a place to go for a meal for the weekend after valentines day ( i only see him fri to sun)

i'm liking this attention, i'm not used to it

I do, but as it's also my wedding anniversary, I better had!

its my dh birthday so have to get him a card and we go out for dinner
this yr i have got him tickets to c ricky gervas

YES!

Bake a heart shaped cake and goodies for DH and the girls.

Send cards and treats to family abroad.

Make cards and such w/DD1.

We put up those gel gem thingies in the living room window - we have some for nearly every holiday!

I enjoy holidays.

we tend to go away for the night, numsere hall tend to be our usual treat, poeple more willing to babysit for us on valentines - well single people anyway.

i think it may be commercial but it can be what you make it.
like others, we have a nice meal in (no babysitter!) we exchange cards, he buys me flowers (just nice m&s roses, £5, not these extortionate £50 interflora valentines specials!) and we do have a romantic night together, candles and the lot.
i think it is a nice way to remember why you fell in love when it is easy to get bogged down in life, kids, work, money worries or whatever.
i guess ideally we should always be so lovely with each other but at least days like valentines, wedding anniversary, "getting together" anniversary give us pause to do so and it needen't cost a fortune!

we have a takeaway and put a nice film on. And we swop cards.

Tis nice, not too much or too expensive, but we make an effort to have a nice evening in each others company and do something together.

Its a good a day as any other to do it, and an easy day to remember to put in that extra effort, cos when bogged down in day to day life we don't always remember.

HAve been together about 7 years.