To V-Day Haters:

I know what it is like to hate Valentine’s Day. Been there, done that, got the brochure, t-shirt, bumpersticker, and coasters.

But as you get older — as more people come and go in your life — you’ll realize something important about this day: it’s not just about going out to dinner, getting flowers, or buying candies for your “sweetheart of the moment.” It’s about celebrating… one of life’s most joyous and wonderful emotions: LOVE.

Some say Valentine’s Day is a “Hallmark Holiday.” Others think you should love someone the other 364 days of the year, too. With that mentality, we need to stop celebrating Thanksgiving and be thankful every, single day, and make ourselves sick with turkey. We need to stop celebrating Christmas, and celebrate the birth of Jesus every, single day, and always have presents to give. We need to stop celebrating Halloween, and celebrate Harry Potter and give away free candy every, single day. Forget about 4th of July — light up them firecrackers and wave your flag 24/7. And we most certainly need to stop celebrating St. Patt’ys Day, and just devote ourselves to being Irish and drunk every day. See where I’m going with this?

Today would have been my Grandma’s birthday. This is my first year without her. Valentine’s Day is so much more to me than just a holiday. It reminds me of her and it reminds me that this holiday isn’t just about your husband/wife, boyfriend/girlfriend, friend-with-benefits, etc. It’s about love and life and everything in it. It’s about celebrating one of the most gentle, basic, passionate, caring, affectionate, crazy emotions we human-beings can feel.

If you love your family, if you love your children, if you love your friends, if you love yourself — celebrate Valentine’s Day. Give yourself a cookie — or a shot of vodka — because you are able to LOVE and you made it another year!