Valentine's day? Bah! Humbug!

Okay, so at the risk of appearing misogynistic between this and my first entry, I have to speak out about Valentine's Day. It is the worst of the made-up "occasions" there are. Except maybe "Sweetest day" which thankfully hasn't caught on up here in Canada yet.
I have several problems with Valentine's Day.

1. Shouldn't men be showing their partners how they feel on a regular basis? Does it require one special day to do so (or two if you count Sweetest Day)?
   
2. Cards. Cards are crap. I think women really like them - I'm not sure what the attraction is, and I know many men who would agree. One of my best friends has a girlfriend who thinks cards are an integral part of any "occasion." I don't get it - for Christmas, I have already spent time and effort buying a great gift, do I really need to go and buy a card that some company mass-produced? Now, were I him, would I do it? Yep. Not because women are always right, but because it's never wrong to try (for either gender) to make your partner happy. Doesn't mean I would understand it any better, though.
   
3. Unevenness. I mean really. Let's see, for most guys, cards don't do much. Flowers even less, and chocolates will not be savoured, in fact we'll end up "sharing" them with the very woman who gave them to us. We might get sex on Valentines, but unless there are other issues in your relationship, that is neither reward nor gift, but something that happens with some regularity. Lingirie falls in to much the same category - I mean, if it is only worn on Valentines day, then she really doesn't like it and shouldn't bother anyway. Otherwise, if she wears it regularly, then it's hardly a "special treat" now is it?

I don't want to try to stop people who like this kind of occasion from celebrating it, but my wife agrees it is crap. She brought it up. It was back when we were saving for a place of our own, and she figured that putting the money I'd normally spend on such things towards the down payment was a better choice. Then she found that she didn't miss it, and has since decided it is crap that we shouldn't even bother observing. The only problem is, her best friend is regularly aghast that I don't buy her things for Valentines Day, taking this as an indicator there is something wrong with our relationship. I have made my wife cry with Christmas presents, and we have been together for almost 13 very happy years. But because we don't buy into an exuces for flower, chocolate and card companies to soak us for money, there is something wrong? Hardly.

Anyhow, if you enjoy the day, great. But take a step back and look at the "holiday" (Hallmark's description - I'd like the day better if I got it off of work) and see it for what it is - a money grab that plays on women's desires and abilities to make men's lives miserable.