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Valentine’s Day has never been one of my favorite holiday’s

The older I get, the more jaded I become with February 14th, and everything it represents. I’d honestly like to find Cupid and fire an arrow in his backside. Maybe I need a self-help book?  I have been married over 20 years now, and every year we go through the same thing:

Hubby: What do you want for Valentine’s Day?
Me: I don’t know. A card I guess (why does he have to ask?)
Hubby: Uh Ok.
Me: Surprise me
Hubby: Uh Ok.

I’m not into stuffed animals, going out to dinner will be a madhouse, and I really don’t wear jewelry. These day’s I’ll give Hubs chocolate since he’s is a chocoholic. I think deep down I would rather be surprised throughout the year with a special gift or flowers, not just on February 14th when men feel the pressure to do it. I’m always amused watching men at shopping on their lunch breaks or getting roses and chocolates on the way home from work. You can see the stress factor hitting them hard! The consensus is Valentine’s Day Is for women. This got me thinking of the good old days in high school when we were lost in love and couldn’t wait for this holiday to come around.

So many important events defined 1989: The Berlin Wall came Down, The Exxon Valdez caused one of the biggest disasters on the open seas, Moonstruck made Cher cool again, Driving Miss Daisy won an Oscar, and I was a single, yet dateable sophomore in high school. Even though I didn’t have a special somebody, I, like most of my girlfriends, fantasized about the perfect Valentine’s gifts. Sometimes we’d say to hell with it and buy each other sweet treats.  When thinking of all the years past, the memories came flooding back, and I came up with this month’s Midlife Rewind: The Valentine’s Day Wish List 1989. 

Valentines Day Wish List 1989

Who doesn’t remember candy grams? Those heart shaped lollypops that we bought for our friends for $1.00? Who didn’t want to have these delivered during second period? It was exciting to get these from your friends with a note of sentiment.

The Mixtape – The greatest gift to give or receive was the mixtape. All of the songs that let that special someone know just what you thought about them without having to tell them directly. Does he or doesn’t he? This was when music was good, and power ballads were a thing: Debbie Gibson, Tears for Fears, NKOTB, Richard Marx, Bobby Brown. The list goes on. Once you got the mixtape, you knew it was true love. The only tape you NEVER wanted to receive was a “breakup” mixtape.

Giorgio of Beverly Hills – Unless you lived under a rock, you know that THIS was was the perfume to procure. If someone bought you a bottle of Giorgio, they had a love for you. It had a strong, flowery scent and screamed “class.” I got a bottle one year and saved it for as long as I could.

Guess Watch – Half of my high school closet consisted of Guess clothes. I got my first pair of Guess Jeans in the 8th grade, and I never looked back. When I outgrew the jeans, I ripped off the pocket so I could keep my triangle. It was only natural to have any Guess accessory I could get my hands on. The most coveted? The Guess watch. You could outgrow the clothes, but never the watch. They were not only stylish but a status symbol.

This was a time in our lives when life was simple, and gifts could be purchased with our allowances. Eventually, I did have a special someone but he never bought me, Giorgio! Bum!

What are some of your Valentines Day memories from High School?