We didn't celebrate Valentine's Day this year. And we won't be celebrating Saint Patrick's Day, or Easter, or Leap Year either. We will only be celebrating our Birthdays, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.
We made this decision right after we got married in 2014.
Newly married, we had little money, and after that Thanksgiving and Christmas, we had nothing to prepare for New Years.
I was worrying about February, because both my husband's Birthday and Valentine's Day falls very close together. I wanted to do something special for my husband's Birthday, but the excitement of having a Valentine was also not lost on me. I was trying to figure out how we could stretch every penny so that I could do both.
My Lovely sat me down and suggested something to me.
We just won't celebrate them. New Years, Valentines, and any other Holiday that didn't involve our families. We would celebrate Thanksgiving, as it is huge in my family and they would want us to come. We would celebrate Christmas, because both of our families brought us up to love and appreciate it. And we would celebrate each others birthdays as a special day for each of us. But all other things could fall away.
We don't need heart shaped boxes and streamers. I'm allergic to flowers anyway.
My Lovely said he would much rather go to a nice dinner, just me and him. If that night the food places around town are charging more or are very full - we would just make a nice meal at home and cuddle.
It was hard for me at first. We are both gift-givers. We love the whole process of giving. I really wanted to do something nice for both My Lovely's Birthday, and Valentines. But he was right. And I'm so glad he said it.
This Valentine's Day, we made a crock pot meal that he loves, and cuddled while watching a silly movie on the couch. It cost us near to nothing, but setting aside the time just for us, and both of us being very aware of one another; it was a perfect Valentine's Day.
It was also a huge stress off both of us, as the advertisements that came barreling from all directions didn't phase us at in the weeks coming up to Valentine's Day. All the flower 'sales' and chocolate 'deals' and gift ideas didn't tempt us in the slightest, as we already knew we weren't going to do any of it.
I know me. I am anxious and a planner. I would have tried to plan the whole day to be perfect and wonderful, and it would have not gone according to plan and I would have been upset that I ruined the special day for him.
But we took a relaxed day and made good food and refused to stress about any of it.
So that is the reason you won't see any of the other Holidays decorated for at our place. We will just do a nice dinner on Birthdays, and find out what we can do for Thanksgiving and Christmas. (This year it was pretty much nothing.) We are okay with that. Being broke when you are first married is the whole point, right?
The gifts that are unexpected, 'just because', are more fun anyway.
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