St Valentine's Day massacred?

Today’s chew: a predictable and familiar one - who killed the fun in St Valentine’s Day?

It used to be a day for leaving an anonymous card to your secret crush (and maybe even receiving one. Or so I‘ve heard).
The mystery of it provoked excited speculation from the recipient, and a giddy rush for the giver, for having ’confessed’ their love to the object of their desire (albeit safely from behind the “From… ?” at the foot of the card). A bit of innocent lark, all told.

But now though…

I don’t really want to go into the whole ‘oh it’s just a big marketing exercise’ thing here - I mean, that’s already a given anyway - but is it me or is it actually getting bigger, this whole ‘must celebrate this special day’ pressure that’s increasingly put on couples. This has only resulted in the more smug pairings increasing the volume on their “LOOK AT OUR FANTASTIC LIFE TOGETHER” shrill ostentation, as well as making other couples feel further in competition with each other for who can come up with the most ’romantic’ gesture.
I don’t know how many otherwise happy couples end the day in a blazing row or in some black mood, but I’m guessing it’s more than most other days.

And all that garish pink crap that’s everywhere! It just piles up. Who really wants all that? Even those who don’t go in for the hearts and flowers thing are still left with the ‘what are we doing about V Day?’, ‘I don’t know what do you want to do?’ (x1000) conversation.
But the forced romantic gestures don’t seem to be confined to the couples anymore; when did it become de rigueur for office/etc workers to send cards and /or a flower to their fellow workers? Where I work we had someone go round the place handing out single roses to all the female employees (okay, I felt left out), and not only that but the women gave cards to each other (okay, I really did feel left out there) and bought in fairy cakes and what-not. What the hell’s going on? What is this day even about anymore?

I find St Valentine’s to be somewhat cringeworthy and embarrassing at the best of times, but at least I could ignore it if I was single (let us not speak of how the singleton is forced yearly into that feeling of having their nose pressed against the glass to the party which they weren’t invited to). For some reason or other though, this is the time of year when the world turns insipid pink and no-one is any longer allowed to escape.

Still, happy Valentine’s Day to any none-smug, cute, loved-up couples out there, and, most of all, to anyone wanting a bit of mystery to return to this day.

From… ?

XXX