So what has love got to do with it?

Valentine’s Day is just a couple of days away – is it really one of the most romantic days of the year?

 

Each year in Britain we spend around £503,000,000 on cards, chocolates, flowers and other valentine’s gifts. Wow. That’s a massive amount of money – and for what? What is the ‘Bah – humbug’ equivalent for love?

  

Don’t get me wrong, I like a bit of romance as much as the next person, but seriously, are we getting this out of proportion? Let’s put things into perspective:

Some believe that that February 14^th was the day that the birds would choose their mates, whilst the Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred. One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine's actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death.

 Regardless of the historical origins, the modern day interpretation is that Valentine’s Day is the day you would affirm your love for your chosen one, or if you if you are still searching for ‘the one’, you would anonymously send declarations of love and admiration. 

 

So what are you hoping for on Valentine’s Day? Are you hoping for a mysterious black velveteen box concealing a carat or two’s worth of bling? Maybe you are hoping to be whisked off for a weekend of romance in Paris, Venice or New York? Others will no doubt be happy with less flamboyant gestures, such as a bunch of handpicked flowers, a handmade card, or a cosy dinner for two.

 

Surely though, we should show people how much we care every day, rather than on just one certain day? I love getting home from work on any day of the year to find the vacuuming done, the dishwasher empty and the fire roaring. The very fact that my loved one has thought about me through the day, and made an effort to help keep our home clean, tidy and warm means a lot to me.

 

The only thing that would make it better would be the clutter disappearing. By clutter I mean the tools, the odd glove, random chargers, work boots, golf clubs, old newspapers and magazines, a tape measure, a remote control, a lone AA battery and that box of things. You know the things I mean don’t you? How on earth is that bit of metal, the old spring, half a set of Allen keys and a 2 Peseta piece ever going to be useful again? Pesetas haven’t been legal tender for 12 years... But my loved one has his clutter.

 
Maybe I should suggest that he takes out a storage unit? He could store the ‘stuff’ in a unit and free up drawers and cupboards in the house, which would mean the world to me.

Think about it: The price storage units start from is pretty much the cost of a bunch of flowers and far more reasonable than the cost of a table for the both of us at Chez Expensive (with prices expressly hiked up for this one night of the year).

Maybe I should get him a storage unit as a Valentines present?

www.beehiveselfstorage.co.uk