Just "Celebrating Romance"
WINNIPEG (CUP) -- Valentine's Day. You either love it or hate it.
Some welcome the excuse to snuggle and to act schmaltzy. Others find it a ploy invented by card and flower shops. Singles try to shrug off its invasive images of hearts and cupids, but secretly question their solo status before the day is done.
So, how important is honouring Feb. 14?
The Winnipeg Sun's relationship expert, Miss Lonelyhearts, or Maureen Scurfield, says love deserves to be celebrated.
"Valentine's Day is a great time to celebrate . . . if you're someone who loves to celebrate, the most painful thing is to tie yourself up with someone who is too macho or cool and doesn't want anything to do with it."
She feels celebrating Valentine's Day is a way to maintain romance in a relationship.
"I think because some men are romantically challenged you need something formal to make sure it happens at least once a year."
Mary Grant, owner of Lady Godiva Boutique in Winnipeg, agrees romance on Valentine's Day helps relationships.
"We get too commonplace. We take the people for granted. We forget about that first love we had with the person. I think they should have Valentine's Day 10-times-a-year!"
According to Miss Lonelyhearts, a relationship without romance is more like a business partnership. She warns if a partner is unsatisfied with the amount of romance, the door is wide open for him or her to have an affair.
For most, romance on Valentine's Day comes in the form of a card, a bouquet of roses, a box of chocolates or a special dinner.
Lingerie shops like Lady Godiva see few men shopping for romantic Valentine's gifts. Grant regrets Valentine's isn't the busiest time of the year.
"Valentine's equals romantic dinners, flowers, movies . . . lingerie isn't huge. Christmas is huge for lingerie. I'd like to see Valentine's bigger for us."
Miss Lonelyhearts says different people have different ideas for romanticizing their Valentine's Day, but the bottom line is Feb. 14 should not be ignored.
"How much effort does it take to buy a card and a flower? If you do it, you get brownie points. If you don't, you risk hurting a person."
So, how important is honouring Feb. 14?
The Winnipeg Sun's relationship expert, Miss Lonelyhearts, or Maureen Scurfield, says love deserves to be celebrated.
"Valentine's Day is a great time to celebrate . . . if you're someone who loves to celebrate, the most painful thing is to tie yourself up with someone who is too macho or cool and doesn't want anything to do with it."
She feels celebrating Valentine's Day is a way to maintain romance in a relationship.
"I think because some men are romantically challenged you need something formal to make sure it happens at least once a year."
Mary Grant, owner of Lady Godiva Boutique in Winnipeg, agrees romance on Valentine's Day helps relationships.
"We get too commonplace. We take the people for granted. We forget about that first love we had with the person. I think they should have Valentine's Day 10-times-a-year!"
According to Miss Lonelyhearts, a relationship without romance is more like a business partnership. She warns if a partner is unsatisfied with the amount of romance, the door is wide open for him or her to have an affair.
For most, romance on Valentine's Day comes in the form of a card, a bouquet of roses, a box of chocolates or a special dinner.
Lingerie shops like Lady Godiva see few men shopping for romantic Valentine's gifts. Grant regrets Valentine's isn't the busiest time of the year.
"Valentine's equals romantic dinners, flowers, movies . . . lingerie isn't huge. Christmas is huge for lingerie. I'd like to see Valentine's bigger for us."
Miss Lonelyhearts says different people have different ideas for romanticizing their Valentine's Day, but the bottom line is Feb. 14 should not be ignored.
"How much effort does it take to buy a card and a flower? If you do it, you get brownie points. If you don't, you risk hurting a person."
