When originality beats cookie cutter chocolates

It has returned to taunt the single and haunt the unrequited. Valentine̢۪s Day is amongst us once again, and if you hope to survive it, I suggest going big or going home.

Now don’t get me wrong I’m a lover of love but the holiday, which many refer to as “Singles Awareness Dayâ€Â or a “Hallmark holiday,â€Â can be quite a bummer, and maybe they are right, I read that Valentine’s Day is the second largest card-sending holiday of the year, only bowing to the almighty Christmas.

Even in the throes of love, I have to admit I am often disappointed when Valentine̢۪s Day rolls around and my lover is not the Casanova I had dreamed of. I am not looking for a band of gold complete with the ball and chain but what I would like is some originality. Having said that, if I do get a ring, I am not giving it back.

Nevertheless, who wants the same box of chocolates 100 other women got? Who wants a card that some lonely woman could have written in her basement following a bad breakup? Who doesn’t find red roses cliché these days?

Where do we get the nerve to try to pass off mass produced cards as our own heartfelt emotion anyway? I like a nice computer-generated card every once in while but it really hurts when someone I care about professes love in the cookie-cutter words of another. It just does not feel authentic.

How can you generate that kind of emotion without spontaneity? Did he pick up the card, read it and then think, “gee, that’s how I feel.â€Â Yeah, right!

I could commend him for actually reading cards and selecting one based on an effort in my favor, but I would much rather honor his ingenuity and creativity.

I would rather have a cheap houseplant and a Taco Bell receipt riddled with nearly illegible professions of love than a bouquet from Costco, candy or a silly stuffed animal.

It seems like whether you are in or out of a relationship, Valentine̢۪s Day leaves much to be desired. Once again though, I have my fingers crossed; maybe this year will be the one to change it all for me.

So get out there and make me proud. Whether you are single, swinging or shacked up, make someone you love feel special by giving him or her a real piece of your heart. It takes true talent to express the love inside you without resorting to commercial scapegoats.