Excerpts From An Honest Girl's Diary

Roses are red

Candies are sweet

Unless you eat too much

Then you might just lose your teeth!

I don’t think there’s one holiday I didn’t celebrate growing up. Of course there’s the big three: Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Then there’s the Fourth of July. My love for holidays comes from my grandmother who’s always decorating her house, even just for the change of seasons. Her mailbox gets a makeover too with mailbox covers!

St. Patricks Day, my grandmother would put shamrock clings up on the windows and we’d make Pillsbury shamrock cookies. Sometimes we’d even get a Shamrock Shake from McDonald’s! The Easter Bunny would leave us a present and candies in our baskets on Easter morning. One year the Easter Bunny brought me purple Kim Possible slippers!

Valentine’s Day was the same- my mom would always have cards and candies ready for us in the morning. Sometimes there’d even be a special gift- one year it was a stuffed dog that held a red heart and sang “I love you” when you squeezed it’s stomach. My grandfather made a tradition of delivering roses to all the women in the family too and he still does this every year!

I used to love picking out the Valentine’s to hand out to my classmates. I loved holidays at school. If you’re a Gen Z like me, I bet you remember how magical holidays in elementary school were. My favorite to celebrate was Christmas because of all the arts and crafts, hot chocolate and decorations. It also became a tradition to watch The Polar Express in class.

My favorite candy to eat was the Fun Dip attatched to the cards. I’ve never been a fan of the sweettarts. I don’t know how anyone eats such a hard candy.

I never had an issue with Valentine’s Day until I became a teenager. Then it became a day all about relationships to me. Which is sad, really, I should have been celebrating love in general. The love of family and friendships.

2026 might be the first year I’m actually good with Valentine’s Day. My daughter is almost school-age which has made me think of what it’ll be like for her when she goes. I look forward to shopping for her classmates and picking out candies.

I vividly recall my dad buying a heart-shaped cake for my siblings and I one year to cheer me up. He knew I struggled with my insecurities the most that day. I didn’t date in high school though I had crushes. I’d watch the boys give their girlfriends balloons and decorate their lockers. I wanted to be a part of that.

Now as an adult love the idea of ‘Galentines.’ Honestly, celebrating friendship sounds better to me than relationships. Relationships should be celebrated everyday, not just on one occasion. Of course, if my husband decides to get me flowers I’ll enjoy the surprise but it’s not necessary. We met in February so if we’re going to celebrate anything it’ll be our anniversary.

Even after getting married, I still dealt with frustration and wanting to have a big celebration each year. I let it stress me out to the max so much it even affected my husband. He felt that he always had to go big instead of keeping it simple. Nothing ever seemed like enough. I’m not sure why I was that way, other than being immature. I’m proud to say I’ve since grown out of it.

If you’re struggling this year and need help on how to get rid of the blues, here are some tips I’ve picked up over the years:

1. Make plans with friends– whether it’s going out to dinner or hanging out on the couch with a bottle of wine, being with the ones you love will distract your mind.
2. Enjoy a bubble bath– light some candles, get a good book, turn on some music, make yourself a glass of your favorite beverage and get a snack! Let the warm water relax your muscles and forget about your stresses. You deserve a break!
3. Buy yourself some flowers– yes, in the words of Miley Cyrus, “I can buy myself flowers!” Pick your favorite kind! Why not add a balloon to it as well?
4. Take yourself out on a date– pick a place you love to go, even if it’s Starbucks, and treat yourself! I used to be terrified of eating out alone, but now I love it! It gives me time to enjoy my meal without having to worry about anyone needing me for an hour
5. Celebrate the day with your kids– becoming a mom is what truly helped me get over my emotions with Valentine’s. I started seeing it as a fun holiday for kids instead of a romantic one. I like to print out arts and crafts for my daughter and I to do- print out some fun activities!
6. Bake something tasty!– cut outs, pre-made dough or cookies made from scratch. If you’d rather bake a cake then try making something new like a red velvet cake! My sister and I used to make red velvet cakes all the time growing up. Our favorite part is licking the bowl!
7. Make some cards– I’ve been making cards since I was young. I dream of having my own card company one day. I like to research ideas online and use stencils for designs. Whether you want to give them to those closest to you or your neighbor next door, you can never go wrong with handmade cards.
8. Stock up on candy!– you can’t go wrong with buying a shelf of marshmellow chocolates or Twix bars.

Let me know in the comments which one(s) you decided to you try!