Feb 14, 2012 0
Ed’s Unsolicited Tips for Valentine’s Day Awesomeness
If there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s watching NHL hockey. If there are two things I’m good at, they’re watching NHL hockey and giving unsolicited advice. Since the hockey games won’t be on until later tonight, I thought I should venture into the unsolicited advice realm.
OK, so here’s the thing. I stopped by the store today and saw all of these people stressing out over cards, chocolate, flowers, and other such things for Valentine’s Day. We all want to have an awesome Valentine’s Day, but how can we make such a thing happen? It would seem that everything at the stores is fighting against such awesomeness.
Don’t worry, there is hope. Here are three tips to having an awesome Valentine’s Day. You didn’t ask for them, but you need them.
#1 Order Take Out
I know the movies and television always show people eating out on Valentine’s Day, but gosh darn it, eating out on Valentine’s Day is a pain. You’ve got to make a reservation, wait a while, and drive all the way back home. If there’s one thing I’ve hated about Valentine’s Day, it’s finding a restaurant and then having to wait an hour before sitting down to eat. That’s how you kill all of your small talk before you’ve even hit the appetizer!
Skip all of that and order takeout. Pizza, Chinese, or Indian: it doesn’t matter. Keep it simple. Focus on each other, not on getting a reservation at that crazy restaurant. If you can just eat your food out of the boxes, you don’t even have to worry about dishes, freeing up your hands for other things…
#2 Write One Specific Thing in Your Card
Avoid greeting cards that use the words, “Sometimes I…” or “Even though I.” These are the gateways to banal cliché and must be avoided if you are to achieve awesomeness on Valentine’s Day. Nevertheless, the card itself isn’t too important, provided you write something specific and personal, even one thing that you appreciate.
Do you appreciate the past with this person? Do you look forward to the future? These are all things you can mention in the card. Can your card have Pepe Le Pew on it in the process? Absolutely.
#3 Pick Up One Significant Thing
I used to get stressed about picking up chocolate or flowers until I realized that it’s far more important to pick one significant thing that my wife actually likes. This shows that I’m paying attention to her and know her. Flowers aren’t a bad idea necessarily, but the bigger deal is demonstrating that I listen to her and appreciate who she is. Buying one significant gift such as her favorite drink, even if it’s something non-alcoholic, communicates something far more significant.
There you have it, my three steps to having an awesome Valentine’s Day. If you screw up these three simple tips, don’t come crying to me.
