Regarding Valentine's Day, I think people generally fall into one of three categories: fleeting fondness, ambivalent acceptance, or abhorrent disdain. Before the confetti from New Year's has even settled, retailers begin their rosy assault. Shopping aisles that previously housed reasonable and practical goods switch to showcase an assortment of items now superfluously plastered with Valentine motifs – heart-emblazoned: bath mats and shower curtains, coffee mugs, sneakers, area rugs, mini mail boxes, flannel pjs. Do you ever wonder who is actually buying into it?

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