Which fraction do you belong to?
At the last moment, I did declare a small gift that had been in storage in the drawer for months a Valentine’s Day present in the evening and gave it away. For weeks, I had consistently ignored all the advertisements in the form of hearts made of red roses, desserts decorated with rose petals, bubble baths with champagne glasses and similar images, preferably in the colours red, rosé and apricot.
BY THE EDITOR // KARIN M. KLOSSEK
Boyfriends and girlfriends in Anglo-Saxon countries find it hard to escape the pressure of Valentine’s Day, the day when everything has to be perfect. Some of them regularly place an order of long-stemmed, dark red roses with the online mail-order company, which is delivered to their office on time on Valentine’s Day.
The bouquet is then placed in plain view on the desk with a charming, knowing smile. This way, you belong and don’t have to endure pitying, empathetic looks because of your flowerless desk on that day.
I find it difficult to be in a good mood at the push of a button because the calendar shows a birthday, Mother’s Day or Christmas. I am very happy about congratulations on the day of a birthday and like to spend the day at my desk, computer and telephone, also to thank people promptly and individually for the congratulations that arrive on all channels.
Celebrating on another day has more appeal
I can celebrate well on the weekend before or weeks later. At a time when it fits perfectly, when the favourite restaurant has a nice table free or your head is clear because you are in a particularly nice place or in particularly nice company.
That seems more mysterious and therefore more appealing. It also has the advantage that the celebration becomes less ritualised and no expectations build up among the invitees that you might not want to serve in the years afterwards.
Freedom is the best congratulation
The freedom to spontaneously do whatever I feel like on a “holiday” prevails. Instead of lengthy dinner preparations, spontaneously jogging through the rain-soaked forest, digging up the garden or spending the evening in a dark cinema hall has its own special extravagant charm.
Celebrating in style, deliberately on a later day, or in the following month, becomes in this way a very special date or a spontaneous meeting with friends. Without speeches, without gifts and without obligations.
