I've got a heart on

Valentine’s day. No one can escape it. It’s on the radio, on the TV, displayed in restaurants and grocery stores, and on the tip of everyone’s (those that have a significant others) tongue. But what about the rest of us? The ones who choose not to have a valentine (or just can’t seem to find a good one)?

My best friend is not thrilled about Valentine’s day. She claims she’s never had a valentine, and each time this day comes around, she is in a bad mood. She attempted to warn me of the dangers this holiday may bring to our friendship earlier this week.

“Just to let you know, I’ll be in a bad mood Thursday,” she said. “It’s just because of Valentine’s day and the whole couple’s thing.”

“Well, why not treat it like every other day?” I ask.

“Because it’s not like every other day,” She says.

This is true. She has a point. Try as us singles might, it is not just another day. It’s a pink, red, hearts, flowers, box-of-chocolates, singles-awareness, day. Valentine’s day is a lot of things, but nice to singles it’s not. It’s impossible to escape, it’s everywhere.

• More than 61% of the population will celebrate this holiday. That’s more than celebrate Christmas! (about.com)


• Of fresh flower purchases only, Valentine's Day ranks No. 1, capturing 36% of holiday transactions and 40% of dollar volume. Valentine's Day is also the No. 1 holiday for florists. (aboutflowers.com)


• Americans spent as much as 13.7 billion last Valentine's Day 2006. (MSNBC)


• The hottest day to get married in Vegas is on V-day. (Bridesclub.com)


• Valentine's Day is the most popular holiday for text messaging. From February 13th to the 14th, there's a 33% spike in texting traffic. (AT&T)


• Number of condoms used per second in America on Valentine's Day: 87 (LifeStyles Condoms)

Ok, those are all fine and dandy, but here’s the equally awesome, if not more important, statistics for the singles:

• Percentage of women who claim that if their dog was a man, they'd want him as their boyfriend: 34 (American Kennel Club)


• Percentage of married mothers who'd rather spend Valentine's Day alone than with their husbands: 51 (Momjunction.com)


• Number of single men (either never married, widowed or divorced) who are in their 20s for every 100 single women of the same ages: 120 (Families and Living Arrangements: 2006)


• One of the most romantic countries in the world, Italy, does not celebrate Valentine’s Day.

That should make us singles feel a bit better. And, at least we don’t have to rush around like crazy looking for a place to make reservations, get cards, save for presents, get presents, decide if we even want to be with said other on that day, etc.

And think about it, this is the BEST time to go out and have a night on the town. What better night to find singles than go out on international date night?

One of the most interesting things I’ve found in my research of Valentine haters, is a blogger, Leigh Orf, who shares with us what we can do to get even, http://www.contrib.andrew.cmu.edu/~norm/love.html. My favorite is listed below:

“Upon coming in contact with aforementioned amorous starry-eyed couples, proceed to exclaim loudly to either one, "Why didn't you call me! You told me our passionate night together was only the beginning?! Who the hell is *this* cretin? Don't you know that s/he could never love you like I can?! You're coming with *me*!" Etc., ad nauseum. Be very animated, and feel free to physically get in between these two clueless sots. To be especially effective, do your research ahead of time and seek out certain couples. Learn their names, their habits and lifestyles, and capitalize on this. By ruining their holiday of love together, you will be adding them to the ranks of bitter V.D. malcontents.”

Still not feeling better? There’s a web site devoted to people who absolutely hate Valentine’s day: http://www.antivday.com/.