How do you celebrate Valentine's day?

Valentine's day is around the corner and there's some kind of excitement in the air.  In malls, the shops dress up their windows with hearts and cupids, magazines worth their circulation print articles about love and devote a section or two of valentine gift ideas "for her" and "for him"; restaurants are whipping up quick-to-prepare menus and improving their spread in keeping with the occasion.  Some people check out what's interesting in jewelry shops.  On the web, I've already read blogs about the "big" day; and not to be outdone, here I am typing my own.  

How do we celebrate valentine?

Many say it with flowers...

And chocolates...                                                                     

                                                                                                                                                                                            

Others give perfume...

Or jewelry

Still others like cuddly stuffed toys. 

For a change why not celebrate with sushi?

And a cocktail?

When I was in grade school, our teachers encouraged us to wear a  "heart-on-our-sleeve", or more accurately wear it like a corsage or a brooch.  They even taught us a song or two in keeping with the occasion.

At my dorm in college, we were all excited when this big day came around, we all looked forward with happy anticipation. There was always the question:  "Will it be red roses?", "chocolates, maybe". "Will he bring me to a dinner show?"  Having a hot date was a big deal.

Every valentine, my husband would often recall about a colleague who came to work in a red shirt and my! Was he the object of so much teasing until he couldn't take it anymore so he went home to change?

Then there was his officemate who was out of town on business and sent a telegram on valentine's day. ( no emails or text then).  When his wife got the telegram, it read:  "miss you, wish you were her", the last "e" was inadvertently omitted. What do you think happened when he got home?  Haha! I wouldn't like to know. 

On valentine's day earlier on, my husband would send me a big vase of roses at work, sometimes if his schedule allowed, he would even surprise me by showing up to bring me out to lunch.  In the evening we usually have dinner and watch a show or go dancing.  Nowadays however, for practical reasons, we choose to stay home instead.  We find the restaurants always full to the brim and food is not as reasonably good as they are on regular weekends.  So why join the crowd?  There are many ways to celebrate valentine, after all we can always celebrate it any other day or even everyday! 

Enjoy your valentine's day!