Love, Everything But the Decorations

While retail stores like to go crazy around the holidays, it seems that this year the shopping frenzy is extending all the way into the middle of February. The exact date can be pinpointed to, that’s right, Sunday February 14th. I should have prepared myself when I started seeing commercials in January for shiny necklaces and bracelets promising to be that perfect gift to show your loved one you really care. Has anyone else noticed that expensive gifts can also be directly linked to colossal mistakes or apologies deeming jeweled items from a catalog? Let me interject with what some of you may be thinking. No, I am not a single twenty-something woman angry about not having a Valentine. I am however, someone who is sick of the commercialization of every single excuse to dress up or buy stuff. First there was Halloween where let’s face it, is reserved for children and women who feel for one night, they are allowed to wear anything that remotely resembles a costume. Before the cobwebs are brushed down, you breeze through a few turkeys and pilgrims and then BOOM you are hit with the phenomenon that comprises Christmas decorations. After the New Year rolls around, I can become exhausted watching commercials in the privacy of my own apartment- never mind going out and actually doing some shopping. I enjoy sending Valentines and going out for a bite to eat but for some, it seems to be a slippery slope into a manic purchasing spree. Let’s just all relax, put down the credit cards and enjoy our loved ones- without decorations- all year round!