Valentines Day Stories – The Best and Worst

I have a love/hate thing with Valentines Day.

I think a lot of people do, usually there’s a correlation between how much you dislike it and how single you are.  I see you nodding at the back there.  It isn’t that for me.  I think I’m jealous of it.  I was born on Valentines Day 1990.  3:21pm.  My parents didn’t do Valentines Day after that (shout out to my Dad who always said he didn’t need an excuse or a day to spoil my Mum and tell her he loved her.)

But, maybe because I like being the centre of attention, I hate that card shops blush the whole of the month before reminding you not to forget Valentines Day – 14th February. I want to scream at the top of my lungs that IT’S MY DAY.  And I’m not interested in the Durex Sponsored ads on Facebook (incidentally, that sentence stands Valentines or not).

But anyway, the incessant love-heart advertising campaigns are telling me it’s coming up again so I got to thinking, what are people’s best and worst Valentines day stories?

My worst Valentines Day was probably when I sent flowers to my girlfriend at work (I was studying in a different city at the time), only she was ill at home. So the flowers went to work where my girlfriend wasn’t. Or it might have been way back when, Valentines Day 2009.  Newly single, first day at a new weekend job working 6am until 3pm then going on a night out with friends, only I couldn’t handle the wine and didn’t get to go out.  None of my friends got to go out either.  They spent the night drinking wine in the university halls of residence, taking it in turns to make sure I hadn’t vomited on myself any more.  My parents visited early the nexrt morning as a birthday weekend surprise; they took me shopping but only after my Mum had asked more than once if the halls always smelt of sick.

At least I didn’t spend it with my other half and her ex girlfriend who had just split with her girlfriend (are you keeping up with me here?) like my girlfriend did one year.  Too many girlfriend’s in that sentence. And I should point out this was way before she met me.

My best is trickier.

Last year we spent my birthday in the very cold but extremely beautiful city of Edinburgh.  We packed so much into the three days that we were there despite my girlfriend having tonsillitis.  We saw a baby koala at the zoo and the infamous pandas (they weren’t conscious and didn’t move, but we loved them) and we ate fancy food that I ordered without knowing entirely what it was.  I think that was pretty high up.  And one year, I spent three hours hand painting a tea pot.  I’ve used it a lot but only on special occasions.  That was good.  The year after we had a birthday tea-party with lots of friends, not as romantic but it was hella fun.  If you’re single this year you should try it out.

Like most things, people generally remembered their worst Valentines easier than their best.  How about the time two students went to a restaurant acclaimed for it’s vegetarian food- also reasonably priced (research had been done prior to booking), unfortunately the research hadn’t extended to checking the price of the set menu, which would be the only food on offer on February 14th- a real steal at £70 per head.  Esspecially as a student when that would probably buy you a months worth of groceries (or three nights out).  Of course the couple asked for their coats back and left for something more reasonable.  Fortunately the restaurant rang the following day to apologise for the fire alarm going off so many times and offered the couple a big discount on their next trip; greatfully accepted for the ‘inconvenience’.

Other slip-ups are telling your SO that you don’t want a gift or a card and agreeing the same.  You live together, you have other and better things to spend your cash on and you don’t want to buy into the commercial made-up holiday anyway.  But secretly wanting a card, gift and slap up meal and being disappointed when, as per your agreement, you get nohing. Other day-ruiners are cards from “Barry the electrician” and parents as pre-teens (but I still think that’s quite sweet).

Whether you’re loved up in a relationship, chilling with friends, or decide to drink as much wine as possible in a place with as few couples as possible,  we wish you a very happy season of love.