Storytime Tapestry Newsletter

The newsletter devoted to spreading love and cultural awareness throughout the world.

Special Treat – Joe Walker

February 13, 2008

ValueSpeak

A Weekly Column

By Joseph Walker

valuespeak@msn.com

LOVE, POLITICS AND RODENTS

            I don’t know what to make of the mixed messages of mid-February.

            On the one hand we have Valentine’s Day, a celebration of love and romance, laden with greeting cards, candy, flowers and the image of a naked little cherub shooting arrows into the backsides of reluctant suitors and suitees.  On the other hand we have Presidents Day, during which we celebrate the accomplishments of past presidents of the United States by taking a day off of work and school and going to furniture sales.

            So if I understand this correctly, love – by all accounts, the greatest thing in the world – wins the merchandising battle but isn’t worthy of full-time, take-the-day-off holiday status.  And Presidents Day, which is sort of a contemporary morphing of previous observations of Abraham Lincoln’s and George Washington’s birthdays (Feb. 12 and 22, respectively) with every other president from John Adams to Bush II, gets the day off and the always-interesting-if-not-inspiring prospect of a well-priced wingback.

            If I was in charge (and we can all be thankful that I’m not, can’t we?), I’d do things a little differently.  I’d go back to the days when Lincoln and Washington each had their own day in February, and let the other presidents fight it out for their own recognition.  If a good case can be made for an annual Chester A. Arthur Day or a John Tyler Whig Festival, I say go for it.

            But I’d shift the holiday vacation day to Valentine’s Day.  I’d even be OK if it was considered one of those roaming Monday holidays, like Labor Day and Memorial Day.  There’s nothing sacred about Feb. 14^th. But Valentine’s Day IS sacred, in my view, and deserves a full day off for contemplation about the meaning of love, reflection about the joyful impact of love in our lives and, of course, last-minute shopping.

            And last-minute shopping is what Valentine’s Day is all about.  It is the perfect holiday for men, because . . . well, you don’t want to buy chocolate too early and just let it sit in your basement and get old and moldy, do you?  That would be gross (never mind that the chocolate you buy on Feb. 14^th has probably been sitting in a warehouse somewhere since Halloween).  And flowers have to be fresh to be good, right?  So you can’t buy them too early, either, because giving your sweetheart wilted flowers is considered bad form. Valentine’s Day is the one gift-buying holiday where procrastination is not only acceptable, it is actually the right thing to do.

            Which is why a vacation holiday would be appropriate for Valentine’s Day.   We could start a new tradition, with candy shops and florists opening early on Valentine’s Day (OK, so they wouldn’t get the day off – sorry about that), and everyone lining up to run out and buy fresh candy and flowers.  It would be like the running of the bulls in Spain – only without the bulls.  Or . . . you know . . . Spain. Everyone would be running and dashing and buying, sort of like the Friday after Thanksgiving.  Only this time there would be instant gratification: you get to give your gifts that night instead of hiding them in the attic for a month.  And everybody’s happy!

            Especially the candy makers and florists – the lack of a vacation day notwithstanding.

            Of course, there’s another option.  What if we just merge all of the February holidays into one big mid-month celebration? I mean, I know that love and politics can make for strange bedfellows – especially during an election year – but there just might be a way to do this. Sort of a Valentine Presidents Day, during which we can write a love letter to our favorite former president.  Or a Presidents Valentine’s Day, during which we pay special tribute to former First Ladies – or White House interns, as the case may be.

            Or we can really make things interesting by throwing a groundhog into the equation. Love, politics and hairy, overgrown rodents. Now, THAT would be an interesting holiday!

            Not to mention, an even more mixed up mixed message for mid-February.

# # #