Not so typical valentines speech

This is one of the toastmaster speech I delivered a few days before Valentine's day last year.

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Good afternoon.  February 14 is a red-letter day for many people. This is the day most people look forward to, especially for the lovers.  But for me, this is just an ordinary day, nothing special,  for I  do not believe in celebrating Valentine’s Day. In fact,  I feel awkward to stand in front of you  to deliver a valentine’s speech.  Yes, you guess it right – I am the scrooge of Valentines.  But before you raise your eyebrows and give me a piercing look, allow me to state my reasons …

First, for me, the origins of Valentines day is not clear. The holiday appears to be  named after two    early Christian martyrs named Valentine of Rome and Valentine of Terni. Valentine of Rome^[9] was a priest in Rome while Valentine of Terni became bishop of Interamna  and both were martyred and buried on the Via Flaminia. In the 1969 revision of the Roman Catholic Calendar of Saints, the feast day of Saint Valentine on February 14 was removed from the General Roman Calendar and downgraded  to particular (local or even national) calendars for the following reason: "Though the memorial of Saint Valentine is ancient, it is left to particular calendars, since, apart from his name, nothing is known of Saint Valentine except that he was buried on the Via Flaminia on February 14.

Second, I believe Valentine’s Day is overrated. It becomes a  reason to make reservations in a not so ordinary  restaurant for a perfect date, to buy an expensive arrangement of jaunty roses, even if the price is double or even triple, to  wrap an   extravagant Valentine gift and/or to  send a beautiful  Valentines card.  This holiday  is sometimes called a “Hallmark holiday”  where approximately 152 million Valentine’s Day cards are exchanged industry-wide making Valentine’s Day the second-largest holiday for giving greeting cards.  I wonder if this is still true these days when sending e-cards are now common.  Thus, Valentine’s Day,  for me  is  just an excuse for consumerism and an opportunity for business. Valentine’s day is also a heavy traffic day, the day when taxis are difficult to find, the day when the “wait to be seated”  lines in the restaurant are long.  Can you imagine the drain it cause to the pockets, considering that bills for  Christmas expenses have just been paid or have only been partially paid for?

Don’t get me wrong… I am not here to dampen your spirit or kill the romantic mood of Valentines Day… I may be anti-Valentines but  definitely,  not anti-love. I will still be grateful to anyone who will insist in giving me something on that day.  My arms are outstretched, my hands are open, to accept and welcome your generosity and love.

Let me continue with  my  last reason… I believe that love and romance should not be celebrated in just one particular day. Valentines day can be any day and most appropriately, should be everyday… Romance is driven by passion and passion, by nature, is spontaneous. Romance does not have to be a bottle of expensive wine, or a bouquet of flowers. It can be a phone call to say, "I love you," a homemade card, or simply baking or cooking for a loved one. Truly passionate people don’t hold feelings back waiting for a particular date to arrive. Matt Wixon of The Dallas Morning News writes, “Bring home flowers, jewelry or another gift on an ordinary day, and you’ll be romantic. But on Valentine’s Day, that just means you’ve fulfilled a duty.”

So why wait for February 14 to treat your loved one to a dinner/movie date? You can surprise her or him with flowers, a romantic date or any expression of love any day… not just Valentine’s day.

Since today is three days earlier than the so-called Valentines day, this is  your perfect chance to express your love… go and fill the love with air…  make any day  or even everyday, a valentines day.