When did holidays start coming with a side of guilt? I can’t imagine they started out as the obligatory gift giving Hallmark empires that they are now.

Let’s talk about Valentine’s Day. What is the history of this ridiculous holiday? I would look it up but I really don’t care. The very basis of the holiday seems contrived. Couples can’t think to express love without an annual reminder? Really?

So there’s that part of it. The part that makes every unattached person in the country feel like a complete moron so they hang out with their other single friends having hate love parties. To make matters worse, they don’t even get the day off. What is the point of having a holiday if everyone has to go to work?

But there’s another part. The part that really gets on my nerves. The childhood inclusion part. Have you noticed how every holiday, whether it has anything to do with kids or not, includes children somehow in the celebrations? St. Patrick’s Day comes with leprechauns. Easter comes with a bunny that leaves eggs. What? A bunny that leaves eggs. Actually a bunny that hides eggs. If that doesn’t say Jesus Christ was resurrected I don’t know what will!

At least Santa embodies the Savior’s traits. Forgiveness. How many kids still are visited by Santa even though December was a rough month! Giving. Charity – the pure love of Christ. Secret Santa is all about love and service. Santa’s ok in my book.

Fat angels with or without diapers shooting bows and arrows at people doesn’t say love. It says restraining order. Or at least it should. Who gave the fat babies with wings access to armament ammunition? And with all the gun controversy going on right now should we really support assault with deadly weapons just because they were shot by flying babies?

Anyway, Cupid may be a child but I don’t see how his involvement requires kids to send cards to their classmates expressing love in a way that’s more mature than they usually understand. This is the obligatory part of Valentine’s Day I could do without. The mandatory giving of cards.

Kids used to make their own Valentine boxes. I’m not sure how it is for the rest of you parents but my kids don’t get to do that anymore. It’s now a class art project for everyone to make carbon copies of the same envelope. That way nobody feels bad. It makes me think of The Incredibles. “When everyone is special then no one will be!”

All that being said, I’m kind of craving chocolate. I have never been given a box of Valentine chocolates and it sounds pretty good right now. I’ve mentioned it to Heath. Not in a quarrelsome sort of way. We don’t celebrate Valentine’s Day so it was more of a general announcement. “I’m hungry and chocolate sounds good. Maybe we should support the current overpriced holiday.”

The other day Heath showed me Gotye’s video for Somebody That I Used to Know. It’s kind of the anti-Valentine message. Even though the song is about a breakup I absolutely love it. Some of my favorite songs have a very negative message. I think what I love about these songs is not the message as much as the passion with which it’s delivered. I have been in love with this song since the first time I heard it on the radio. The kids know to be quiet when it comes on because they know I love it. Gwen was singing along today.

Apparently Gotye won a Grammy for the song. I am not surprised. It is fabulous. The video is amazing. Normally I see a video and I think that it’s cool but it’s not like it’s the most incredible thing I’ve ever seen. It doesn’t add anything to the song. In most cases the video detracts from the song. In my humble opinion anyway! But this video exponentially adds to the song. You can see him try to control his breath when she starts to sing. I completely understand shallow breathing as a reaction to stress.

The first time I saw the video it looked like she was even crying. I think it’s not a tear but a pale colored mole. Either way they sing with such intense passion it speaks to my soul. Then there’s the art. I’m not one for abstract art but in this case it is perfect. Words cannot describe how much I love music and art so this video is . . . there are no words. It’s so freaking amazing! I couldn’t sleep that night after seeing the video because my soul had been stirred so much. Seriously.

Oh how I love that video! Then Heath showed me a related video. It’s a Star Wars parody. I’m not a Star Wars fan but I laughed my butt off watching this! It was very well done. The singing is great. The art still fits. Most importantly for me, the passion is still there. Well done Star Wars parody geeks.

Well I best be off to help my kids fill out more mandatory Valentine cards for classmates. They can give all the less than perfect ones to the kids they aren’t friends with! Did you used to that as a kid? I did. I gave all the “You are special” cards to the kids I really didn’t like because I would rather be dead than special.