Editor’s note: Written prior to Valentine’s Day
You probably won’t get the day off from work, or school, on Valentine’s Day. You will be hard pressed to find a Valentine’s Day parade. Actually, Valentine’s Day is not even a legal holiday. All the stores and restaurants will be open like on any other normal day. In fact, many restaurants will be packed that evening, so if you need reservations at your favorite place, you’d better call early. The mail will still run. You could possibly even receive a card from someone that day. The sender might even tell you they love you.
Yet, in spite of all these facts, I read that over half of our nation’s population celebrates this special day. We spend a ton of money on valentines. According to the National Retail Federation, Americans will spend $27.5 billion on this non-holiday holiday. That is an average of around $188.81 per shopper. Fifty-seven percent of those shoppers will buy candy as a gift. I know you thought flowers were the most popular gift, but it is candy. I, personally, had much rather eat a piece of chocolate, or a dozen pieces of chocolate, than a dozen roses or tulips! Now, there is a logical explanation for this candy statistic. Most guys love candy, especially chocolate. This guy is one of those. Most guys know if we give a big box of candy to our wife or girlfriend, she will share with us! In fact, I usually end up eating more of it than Jean does. That may be why she prefers tulips!
We do all those things simply because we love someone and want them to know it. Well, that and the fact that we don’t want to end up in the proverbial “doghouse” if we don’t give anything. But, have you ever thought about the fact that this holiday, or non-holiday, is really just another day, or at best just one day. That’s one day out of 365 days. The question that comes to my mind is, what do we do on the other 364 days? If we show no signs of love on those days, does what we do and give on this one day make up for all the others? If we act like a jerk all year long, can we make up for that in one day? If we are never home, or never spend any amount of time with the ones we love, is one special day enough time to cover for all those others? Excuse me, I think I’ve gone to preaching…maybe even meddling!
February is usually one of the busiest months of the year for me. That is because churches and groups have Valentine’s banquets in February, and I get invited to do programs for many of them. Since the creation of my Bro. Billy Bob character, 23 years ago, I have been gone almost every year on Valentine’s Day. That doesn’t mean Jean and I don’t have a special night out, but it does mean our special night out usually is not on Feb. 14. This year I’m taking her to a banquet at our church, and I’m not the program. I am the last of the big spenders!
You know what I honestly believe? It is not necessarily a particular day that matters, but it is that we have a day. In fact, it really is not just having a day, but many days. I believe that most people would rather have more time spent with the one they love than to receive all the gifts in the world on one particular holiday…that’s not even a holiday.
Bill King can be reached at bkpreach@yahoo.com or 334-728-5514 (office).
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