I feel bad for Valentine’s Day. I really do. Hated by singles, overused by boyfriends hoping to become fiances, and taken advantage of by retailers for the sake of candy and card sales. It’s no surprise that the holiday now has quite the bad rap.

But I still love it, and here’s why:

The memories and the traditions.

 

 

Yes… I have Valentine’s Day traditions. And no, I’m not talking about the tradition of picking out Valentine’s from Walmart (although sometimes I do get a bit nostalgic for a good Lisa Frank or Rugrats card…).

Now, to preface. My family is big into tradition. My mom always jokes that if we do something more than two years in a row, our family has designated the event as a “tradition” that must be adhered to at all costs, so long as we shall live. So obviously, we have Valentine’s Day traditions as well: my favorite of which is our annual “pink breakfast”.

 

 

Until I left for college, each February 14th morning, I would don my outfit of pink or red (or both), and make my way downstairs to the most festive breakfast spread you’ve ever seen, courtesy of my mom. Pink pancakes, pink yoghurt, pink milk, fresh strawberries, strawberry poptarts… if it was pink or red, it had a place at the table.

Mornings have always been rough in the Stoker family, but they were a little less rough on February 14th, with something special waiting for us when we got downstairs. And it wasn’t just the breakfast.

 

 

Every year, my mom also gave us each a little gift with our breakfast. I like to think that my mom was always my first Valentine, because Valentine’s Day celebrates love of all kinds… including motherly love.

And that is why I love Valentine’s Day.

 

Not to mention all the chocolate….

So maybe you hate Valentine’s Day… that’s fine. But maybe it’s worth taking a second to find your OWN way to celebrate. Who knows… you may just start your own, new tradition!