Dorie, yes, the spontaneous giving throughout the year is so much more meaningful, isn't it? I'm impressed that you take that approach to gifts at Christmas, too. Thanks for reading and commenting!

Ryan, yes, you put it well: Valentine's Day can end up feeling like a relationship gauge. Wedding anniversaries can fall into the same trap, I guess, but at least on your wedding anniversary you're marking a specific day with a specific person— remembering it together and being grateful for the past year(s) together. In comparison, V-day feels very generic.

LisaNewton, you're absolutely right—it's up to each individual to think about how to spend our money and how to express our love to someone. I just wish people felt more freedom in that, rather than always feeling like there's some societal benchmark they have to meet. (The Farm's Market sounds like a perfect way to spend part of the day. Hope you enjoyed it—and whatever you cooked!)

Daisy, I'm glad you shared your "teacher perspective." It's true—Valentine's Day seems to have gotten out of hand in schools. Every child "must" give some sort of candy, and almost no one takes the time to hand-make cards. If everyone insists on celebrating the holiday in school, the party time would be better spent having the kids write something nice about each child in their class, rather than just sign their name to a little Hannah Montana card and ingest too much sugar.