Happy Valentine’s Day!

With three words I’ve probably caused every single reader to groan in frustration. You’re probably trying to forget this day exists, aren’t you? Trying to pretend this is just a normal Monday.

Well it’s not. Today is Valentine’s Day. And single or coupled, or complicated, Valentine’s Day is a day worth celebrating. (Hello, we spent an entire week trying to get that point across!) You cannot escape the mayhem that surrounds this day. You cannot ignore it. You cannot hide from it. So you might as well embrace it. And here’s why…

10. Those valentines you used to get as a little kid. You know what I’m talking about. You probably have a whole bunch of them saved somewhere. The ones that have your favorite cartoon characters on them. The ones with too much lace and cheesy sayings. The ones you loved then and still love now.

9. Chocolate. Not only is it delicious, but apparently it’s also good for you. And Valentine’s Day is one of very few holidays when you can eat an entire box of chocolate truffles without getting strange looks, whether you bought them for yourself or they’re a gift from your beau. Read More »

Thanks for joining us this week and I hope you were able to take away some do’s and don’ts, what you’re not missing, and, of course, the real reason of Valentine’s Day:

Love.

Here are three more ways to get more love into your Valentine’s Day. Because at the end of the day, and I’m talking about every day, who doesn’t want more love?

And that’s that. So what are your plans for Valentine’s Day?

Eating a cookie tin, 4 at a time, in your undies? Definite don't.

So it’s day 4 of our week long motivational kick in the ass to get all you single ladies out there to see Valentine’s Day in a new, positive way.

First we reminded you of all the wonderful (pause….NOT!!!) things you’re missing by not being in a relationship.

Then we showed you that your laptop/cell phone/iPad are not acceptable Valentine’s Day dates. Yes, even if there is an App for that.

And then we talked about showing yourself some love (not like that.…well, maybe like that if you’ve got the room to yourself and a little free time on your hands…) on V-Day.

And today, Brittany from The College Crush is going to tell you what you shouldn’t be doing come February 14th. That is if you want to maintain your sanity, dignity, friends and chances at love down the road. Which, you know, you should.

Ready? OK! Read More »

[Check out the first motivational kicks in the ass for a Kick Ass Valentine's Day right here and here.]

Whether you are single or taken, it all plays out the same: in disappointment that someone else has let you down yet again.  Why not get down to what Valentine’s Day is really about – love – and instead of waiting for someone else to make you happy, why not do it yourself?  What do you LOVE to do?  What makes you happy?  You know what your needs are, you know how they need to be met, so go ahead and be your own attentive little date and take care of yourself.

Jenny Jen from Blonde Bronzed Twenty-something thinks this is the approach we should all take. And if others want to do something kind and generous for us all-too worthy ladies too, then that’s just the icing on the Valentine’s Day cake. Read More »

Yeahhh, that's just creepy.

[Check out the first motivational kick in the ass for a Kick Ass Valentine's Day right here.]

So did everyone see the Hallmark commercial plugging Valentine’s Day? If you haven’t seen it, you’ll love this: “Valentine’s Day isn’t about I love you, it’s about I love us.” Commercials like these can make any single woman want to bang her head against a heart-shaped box of Russell Stover chocolates.

Luckily, this year Valentine’s Day falls on a Monday which gives all the single ladies multiple options to choose from:

1) Ignore it completely.
2) Use it as an excuse to go out and spy awkward and over priced dates.
3) Stay home with friends and catch up on your Netflix. After all, The Social Network is available on DVD and who better than a lonely Jesse Eisenberg in a hooded GAP sweatshirt to make you feel better about your own dating life? Read More »

Love, schmove.  When you are a couple, Valentine’s Day is one of the most exciting days of the year.  When you are single, you sometimes want to throw things at those happy couples.  I still remember that devastating feeling as I walked through the union seeing all of the bouquets of flowers waiting to be picked up by ecstatic classmates while I went to my student post office box to find my own special valentine…..from my parents.  Turns out I am Bear-y Special.

However, the one thing we forget is that Valentine’s Day is not just about couples (and the gifts they give each other). At it’s core, it’s a holiday that is simply about love.  And whether or not you have a “special someone” at the moment, there is probably lots of love in your life and you get to celebrate that just as much as someone who is going to the Olive Garden for a $10 meal. Read More »

[It's pretty obvious that the average CollegeCandy reader has some very strong opinions. Opinions that she likes to share with everyone on the site. We love a strong woman (unless she happens to be charging at us with her fists raised), so we thought we'd give her a real forum to discuss her thoughts, feelings, and perspectives. Every Friday I'll be featuring a hot topic (like gay marriage!) and leaving it up to you, the readers, to duke it out. So, read it and get your debate on in the comments section below!]

OK I know what you’re thinking, ”ugh, another Valentine’s post.” You’re probably as sick of hearing about this lovey-dovey holiday as I am (seriously, they put up the Cupid decorations on New Year’s Day!) but I think it’s about time we really had it out on this one.

Valentine’s Day – do or don’t?

On the one hand, I know a lot of people (single and not) who would just as soon abolish the holiday. If you’re single, V-Day can be a real downer – all those movies and shows about love, everyone who’s not single walking around and cooing about how great their significant other is (or complaining that they weren’t romantic enough), plus, if you want any of the chocolate that’s freaking everywhere, you have to go and buy it for yourself which can be a definite blow to the ego. Read More »

I have to be honest: I’ve always hated Valentine’s day. Mainly because for a good 90% of my life, the only thing I got on Valentine’s Day was a teddy bear and chocolates from my mom. While she meant well, it wasn’t exactly a self esteem booster in high school when all the other girls were getting roses in homeroom from their sweethearts.

Then of course, along came Matt and he swept me off my feet. Our first year together was the first Valentine’s Day that I had a boyfriend and I was curious as to what was going to happen. I still hated the holiday; why is it that we assign a single particular day to show our significant others that we love them? Shouldn’t that be an everyday thing? And am I the only one who thinks the alternative motive of this holiday is to shame single people into chocolate induced comas?

Anyways, Matt hates crowds and I wasn’t exactly jumping at the bit to be a stereotypical couple, so we spent our first Valentine’s Day in my dorm room with movies and snacks. It’s what we love to do, so why not do it on February 14th? I handmade Matt a card and then he completely upstaged me by giving me an expensive bracelet. It was beautiful (what girl wouldn’t want that?!), but it wasn’t the best part of the day. The important thing was that we were together and spending quality time together. Read More »