(insert your holiday here) Day

I actually hate Valentine's Day. There, I said it. And it's not because of some thwarted love in my past or the fact that my husband never remembers it anyway. It's another one of those holidays that pressures us to buy things. And it honestly just sets men (and women) up for failure. 

Let's see. You need to remember Valentine's Day and Anniversaries and make them as romantic as possible. And then there's Mother's Day, Father's Day, Grandparents Day. And on top of that there are birthdays. And then the birthdays that are monumental like 18, 21, 40, 50, 60 and so on. These are no ordinary birthdays. They have to be somewhat differentiated from all the others that you may have forgotten. And not just by remembering them. 

Any normal person is going to blow it at least once, and more likely several times out of the year. I think it's society's way of holding our hands through making sure we are grateful for the people in our lives that mean so much. When in reality we shouldn't need a stupid holiday to remind us. Just make the phone call when you think of it. Send an unexpected letter at any time of the year "just because." Pick up the phone when your mother calls even if you talked to her the day before and have nothing new to say or if you don't have a lot of time. And for Pete's sake, ask them about their lives every once in a while. Moments like these are my Valentine's cards. These are my birthday celebrations. These are my thanks yous and my "you mean a lot to me," moments.

I have a friend, Missi, with whom I have been friends with since we were 12 years old. Our lives are so different, They pretty much split in college as we sought to find out who we were despite going to the same school. We graduated and moved away and as the years have gone by, we have managed to stay in touch off and on. One time we were on the phone she was very frank and said that she rarely had time to talk and a good timing to catching up just doesn't exist with the business of life: marriage and kids an work. She said she was beginning a new approach. In any quiet moment I came to mind, she would call. Maybe she would have 5 min in the car on the way to work. Maybe an hour on a road trip. The point was to make it happen when and how it could and not wait for the ideal time. It just doesn't exist. Sometimes we talk several times a month. And sometimes only every few, Sometimes we talk for over an hour and sometimes no more than 5 min. But the connection is made. I am important to her and she to me.

OK. So back to the holiday at hand after a totally unexpected and unplanned soap box. 

Even with all of that, I do remember decorating those little shoe boxes with relish. And placing the letter slot just so. The whole process of handing out your Valentine's was magical. I don't know why. There was just something cool about pretending to be a mailman (of love and friendship, I guess) and slipping the little letters that were painstakingly addressed and signed into their correct slot. And then to go back to your own box to see the surprise of "mail" in your own mailbox. So I buy into the crazy Valentine chaos for the boys' sake each year despite the personal grudge I hold against the holiday. As far as I can tell, it's a crafty outlet for me. And for me as a graphic artist, sometimes my craft comes in the form of 2-dimensional design. 

I searched for printable Valentine's cards online (because I didn't want to drive all the way out to Wal-Mart to pick some up) and found a lot of ones I thought were really cute. But after giving it some thought, my boys don't "give a hoot" for anything. And anything mushy just isn't their style. Star Wars, Harry Potter and LOTR is what's really on their minds and in an effort to be a cool mom, I decided to go for something they would actually be proud to hand out. So I have spent my lazy, snowy afternoon "making Valentine's (and writing this blog). Here is what I came up with. I hope it creates a chuckle if nothing else. Maybe I am just trying to cover up my loath of Valentine's, or maybe I have too much time on my hands...You decide. Happy Valentine's Day! I mean it! REALLY!!!

Does anyone have a fun breakfast idea or snack idea for the big day? Because if I'm doing this, I'm gonna go all the way!