romance

Valentine's Day rolls around once a year to either throw the world's hopeful romantics into a lustful frenzy full of promise and loving gifts and positive energy, or it can push other folks into a misery-drenched state of loneliness unlike anything they normally experience on a daily basis. It's a highly commercialized "holiday." Many people end up digging deep into their bank accounts, and dishing out the big bucks on fancy meals that would otherwise never be considered. Obviously, this year's a bit of a curveball for everyone. Like, can you even get into a restaurant in the first place? And if you decide to go that route for the Valentine's Day date, is it really something that you're comfortable with considering the circumstances of this tumultuous time? Outside of that though, the process that can go into trying to get your special someone a meaningful gift can be a nerve-wracking one, riddled by self doubt. All this pressure can build up over whether or not you're actually getting something that they'll appreciate, or if you're just unknowingly digging yourself a deep hole because you failed to get them something that reflects how well you know them, and how much they mean to you.

Maybe, there's all this momentum around Valentine's Day because of the sea of sappy Rom Coms we have available at our disposal. Romantic movies can end up contributing toward this overriding narrative that you need someone to be happy, and if you end up with that special someone, you're obligated to provide them gifts on Valentine's Day. Who knows? To each their own. Everyone will naturally do it a little different.

With respect to this AskReddit thread though, we have people sharing the very worst of the Valentine's Day gifts that they've ever received. Can you imagine just being in the same room as someone who was receiving one of these gifts? The amount of awkward silence that must've ensued after some of these gift exchanges, must've been palpable. I mean, hey, you live and you learn. Sometimes you end up fully committing to a gift for your partner that you've deluded yourself into thinking they'll like, and not completely loathe. 

We can all fall prey to bouts of well intentioned confusion. If you're lucky you'll be able to get away with a wipeout on a Valentine's Day gift by riding the "it's the thought that counts" wave. Because at the end of the day, it really is. If you have an agreement with your partner where you guys are game with giving each other Valentine's Day gifts, then it's really up to the both of you to not be too critical of one another when the gift exchange part of the process rolls around. Or, maybe the silly banter and roasting of each other is one of the funnest parts of the whole situation. All in all, we hope that these Valentine's Day gift fails make you feel a little bit better about any unfortunate moments you've experienced on Valentine's Day.

Oh yes, those were the days when anyone could go and sit in a café, people watch, maybe tweet out a romantic thread like this one here, or even take a dabble in the art of romance themselves. This throwback Twitter thread takes a look at a couple café coworkers confessing their true feelings for one another. Pretty sweet and wholesome stuff.