Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
With stores heavily stocked with heart-adorned cards, teddy bears wearing T-shirts with love messages and heart-shaped chocolates filling the shelves … it can only mean one thing, St Valentine’s Day is here.
I remember as a child waiting in anticipation to see if I would get a card, dreading going to school in case my cubby was void of a romantic message from a secret admirer. The embarrassment of missing out, which was almost worth, but not quite, asking your mum to send one and then the joy if one did arrive, the heart beating and fumbling fingers.
Many moons later, since those childhood days and of secret admirers (even it if was mum or the boy next door) Valentine’s Day is now about showing my love and respect for my nearest and dearest.
During my first years of marriage my husband and I had high expectations of over-the-top romantic gestures. The largest bunch of flowers, the finest dining experience, spa treatments and hotel breaks to name a few. But now for me, it doesn’t have to be all huge and extravagant.
A nice card is a must, breakfast-in-bed, or taking the kids to school, earns double brownie points. A delicious dinner at home made by the husband and kids would end it pretty well, although I have just read that Meghan Markle’s perfect Feb 14 would involve waking up in Paris and being given a single flower with a romantic handwritten note. There is always that.
But, whether you are single or very much in love, remember that real romance lies in simple, every day acts of kindness, commitment and attention to our loved ones.
I hope my husband reads this!
