Valentine’s Day is one of those days that both excites and torments the hearts of many. Little kids get excited to decorate shoeboxes and give and receive heart shaped candies. Middle schoolers pretend like Valentine’s Day doesn’t matter to them and high schoolers hope their crush will profess their love for them.
To be honest I’ve never been big on Valentine’s Day. It’s not because it’s a Hallmark holiday (I totally support and celebrate Sweetest Day), I’m just not as emotionally invested in Valentine’s Day.
That doesn’t mean I haven’t or don’t celebrate it though. The best Valentine’s Day I ever had was my senior year of high school. My date had asked if I wanted to go to dinner and a movie, a little cliché but he was a sophomore so I cut him some slack. I told him I’d have to go after I finished babysitting my cousins and then I’d pick him up.
I started to get nervous because my aunt and uncle were running late which meant we’d be late for the movie. I called my brother apologizing telling him I’d be on my way soon. When I pulled up to our house he was waiting patiently at the front door. He even dressed up a little bit for me instead of wearing his favorite hoodie and sweatpants.
As I went to pay the guy selling the tickets he asked “isn’t your boyfriend going to pay?” My brother laughed so hard he cried and told the man “no!” Probably causing him to question why I’d put up with that kind of response on Valentine’s Day.
We went to our movie, a chick flick that starred Ashton Kutcher. I drooled over how cute he was while my brother mocked me in typical little brother fashion.
One "date" turned into a tradition as my brother and I started going to the movies together every week. Each week resulting in us being asked why my boyfriend never paid for my movie ticket.
It was the best Valentine’s Day not because I got a bunch of chocolates or because my crush confessed his feelings for me. It was the best because I got to spend a special day with someone I love. Not only that but we started something different an new for our relationship.
I think that's the important part of days like Valentine's Day. Not just letting the people you love know you love them but starting something new and exciting with them.This year’s Valentine’s Day will be a little different. My brother is at Mercyhurst University in Erie, PA and I’m dating someone now. So I might not get a movie with my brother but I'm excited to start new traditions with someone else I really care about.
