Valentines Day

[den]

When I was growing up Valentine's Day was another of those bizzare American things that came at me through the television and comics pages, along with Thanksgiving and Hallowe'en. Charlie Brown, Little Rascals, Li'l Abner, Pogo, etc. all did this anonymous card and chololate thing. It simply wans't a part of the culture where I lived (Southern Sydney and the west of the state.) Exotic places like Melbourne or Brisbane might have done it, but we didn't.

Until the mid-80's of course. Suddenly Valentine's Day was an Aussie Tradition along with the Stars & Stripes, 4th July and Mom's Apple Pie football, meat pies, BBQs and kangaroos.

Sending a Valentines to me will be met with a bemused smile and "Uh. Thanks." I don't do it for the same reasons I don't do Hallowe'en and Thanksgiving. It was never a part of the culture when I grew up.

Comments

[ironbark.livejournal.com]

I have just returned from Vietnam and on the flight back I was reading the (Singapore) Strait Times. I was greatly bemused for the extensive promotion given to various St Valentines Day promotions and articles. The issue was full of true romance and relationship stories and heavy advertising for gifts especially jewelery.

Not bad for a country that has never had a christian tradition, but one that is not known to let a commercial opportunity pass it by either.

The fact is that the sudden appearance of the St Valentines Day tradition in Australia was an engineered phenomena rather than a spontaneous gesture.

[weyrdbird.livejournal.com]

You think I'm gonna waste good chocolate on anyone but me?:D HA!

It's just a holiday created by the greeting card manufacturers anyway.

[tatterdemalion.livejournal.com]

same here...

[dewhitton.livejournal.com]

icon coolness

[moosemonster.livejournal.com]

Southern Sydney, would this be around the Cronulla area?

[dewhitton.livejournal.com]

Hurstville/Bexley, then to Brighton-le-sands. That was many years ago now.

[oceansedge.livejournal.com]

Valentines is just one of those things for me... I don't think much of it one way or the other - it's nice .. cause Jessica's birthday is 2 days later and she loves all the silly pink hearts and candy stuff (and the enormous pink stuffed iguana - look for pics later this week)

I generally speaking try to ignore all the over commercialization and just have fun with the original senitment. No I don't NEED a holiday to spoil the ones I love, I don't need an excuse, but given any excuse I'll have fun with it.

Generally speaking I celebrate Valentine's Day, same as I celebrate Ground Hog Day, and Pancake Tuesday and.... everyday. Just another excuse to be silly and have fun.

[hafoc.livejournal.com]

Yeah, well... I don't observe Valentine's Day either, even though it is part of the culture in which I grew up.

It's the prototype of the Hallmark Holiday-- named after the greeting card company. (Do they operate in Oz?) We have dozens of them, it seems, and more every year. Mother's Day, Father's Day, Sweetest Day, Boss's Day, Office Professional's Day (formerly known as Secretary's Day, but renaming it is either more PC or sells more cards), Grandparent's Day, and on and on-- each specifically designed to sell mass quantities of little hunks of cardboard that cost about three cents to make and sell for $5.75.

Hate 'em. :)