I was browsing through Valentine’s Day cards yesterday and noticed two things: 1) A surprising number of cards were pretty raunchy and 2) you can actually buy anti-Valentine’s Day cards if you wish to shun the holiday instead of celebrate it.
I guess I shouldn’t be surprised by the sex-related cards — sex sells, right? Apparently bitterness sells as well. The anti-Valentine craze is just another way for business to make money, according to an article in the Seattle Times.
Sensing a growing trend — and more potential customers — American Greetings has started a new line of expressions for lovers who would rather be big goofs than big flirts. There are cards for singles not struck by Cupid’s arrow and those with a general disdain for Feb. 14, too.
“For everyone, Valentine’s Day isn’t just about hearts and roses,” said Alana Campana, Valentine’s Day program manager at Cleveland-based American Greetings. “It’s really an unmet market.”
Honestly, I understand the dislike for the day of love. When you’re single, it’s just a reminder that you have no one to get you flowers, and when you’re in a relationship, there’s pressure to get a good gift and meet romantic expectations.
However, February 14 — whether single, dating or married — can be fun. Last year, my roommate and I hosted a Valentine’s Day party for some of our girl friends. We made a nice dinner and decorated our apartment with red and white. We got everyone small gifts and watched a chick flick. Most importantly, we posted Bible verses around the apartment — reminding all the girls of the agape love God had for them. It might seem a bit corny, but it turned out to be a fun night.
Whether single or in a relationship this Valentine’s Day, our goal should be to strive to be an example of God’s love to those around us:
Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. (1 John 4:7-12, NIV).
