It is impossible not to notice what day it is today when you live in the U.S. There are adds for heart-shaped jewelries and chocolates everywhere, mostly targeting men and their wallets. The other day, I came to think of my first Valentine’s Day here in the U.S. I was 20 years old, Swedish, cheery, and naive – a combination that was probably quite cute, and so I received several gifts and cards from different guys (among other things my then favorite perfume Sunflowers by Elisabeth Arden, just to give you an idea of exactly how girly I was back then). It was such hype and I don’t think I have experienced a similar Valentine’s Day since, but at the time, it made me feel very American! Like I was in one of those high-school TV shows!
And yes, I do think it is cheesy! But I like the Swedish name for this day: Alla hjärtans dag, or All Hearts’ Day. It means that it is a day to pay small compliments to your close ones, and even those not that close. There is far too little of that in our world! And Valentine’s Day comes particularly timely since February lacks a nice holiday. My plan for this evening was to invite friends over for strawberry cupcakes and champagne, but I got invited out on a date instead. I don’t know where we are going yet because it is a surprise, and so I am quite excited and really looking forward to finding out in a few hours! (Regardless, it will be a nice contrast to last year when overly romantic Mr. M took off on a five-week long mission on Valentine’s Day and I got to celebrate by myself in the snowstorm…) I also decided to indulge a bit today and treated myself to Godiva strawberry chocolate bar for my coffee break.
Hoppas ni hade det trevligt och lots of love till dig med (det lät så “Thomas di Leva” på svenska ;))!
Ja, det var jättetrevligt och otroligt gott! Och ja, det låter lite di Leva på svenska – hela Sveriges kärleksspridare!