Give Cupid the Boot: Three Ways to Celebrate February 14th

There are a lot of V-Day haters out there, and I admit, I often share their disdain for the hyper-consumer, sickeningly-sweet pseudo holiday. What I don’t agree with is the without question condemnation of Valentine’s day and all it stands for. I agree, the celebration of love and affection has been masked in a marshmallow covered shit show that either guilts people into buying lame gifts for their shmoopies, or makes them feel bad about themselves for not having found their one-and-only. (Barf) I do however like honoring my loved ones and making a point to show them how much I care. (Double barf)

The argument that every day should be a love fest and that having one day where you are forced to acknowledge it makes a mockery of the whole shebang is valid.  The fact is, however, that we as human creatures do take the good things in our lives for granted, and it’s nice to take a day and give thanks. Plus, I am all for any holiday that encourages gettin’ busy. Either way, in a respectful “fuck you” to the lame elements of Valentine’s day, here are three awesome alternatives to the cliche crap.

1. Show some love to a stranger
There always seems to be a surge of volunteer efforts around the winter holidays, but come January the needy are kicked back to the curb and forgotten until next Thanksgiving/Christmas/Hanukkah. This year, keep the love coming and use Valentine’s Day as a reason to get off your selfish ass and give some help to those in need. Sites like VolunteerMatch can help you find an outlet for your goodwill, and it doesn’t involve buying nasty conversation hearts that taste like chalky medicine.

2. Have a non-exclusive love-extravaganza
This day o’ lovin’ should not be limited to romantic feelings alone. Have all of your loved ones, friends, family, pets, significant lovers, and whoever else you feel warm and fuzzy about over for dinner or drinks or whatever. Spending time with the people who make your life better is what it’s all about, so what could be better than that? Finish the evening off with a drunken group hug, and it will go down as the greatest February 14th EVER!!

3. Celebrate President’s Day instead
This year we are lucky that President’s Day falls immediately after Valentine’s. Most people have the day off work, so if you really detest V-day why not ignore it all together and have a President-themed bash Sunday night?! You can have attendees dress up like their favorite Commander in Chief and play fun party games like Pin the Tail on George W. Bush (get it, because he’s an ass? Hahah, I’m funny).

Photos from: costumeshopper.com, communityofferings.net, news.nationalgeographic.com, www3.pictures.zimbio.com