Day of Love

For most of my life, I have not been good friends with Valentine's Day, perhaps because I almost never had a boyfriend on the so-called "day of love."

It started back in high school with the carnations. Everyone could buy carnations that would then be delivered to people on V-day. Red for love, pink for secret admirer, and white for friend. Usually, I'd get one or two white carnations, but never anything else. The cheerleaders were in charge of it, and they usually had bouquets of flowers to parade around with. (My sister was a cheerleader and told me certain girls just took the extra flowers as their own. Nice.) I hated not getting any "cool" carnations, and being reminded of the fact that once again, I didn't have a boyfriend. One year, my friend and I decided to buy each other pink carnations just for fun. It was amusing to have my guy friends pretend they were my secret admirers. Pathetic to know that my admirer was actually my friend April, but whatever.

My apathy toward the holiday continued in college. I would usually spend the day eating candy and hanging out with my roommates (wait--that's what we did every day). I remember that one V-day, we stood in the college bookstore, watching employees blow up those balloons with teddy bears in them so they could be sold to some schmuck who actually thought it would make a good gift for his girlfriend. (Apologies if you have received such a gift and loved it.)

The worst was the year after I graduated. It was the beginning of February and I thought, "Finally, I'm going to have a boyfriend on Valentine's Day." Not so fast. He broke up with me the day before. I think he ended up giving me a card anyway, but I was so ticked about that.

Obviously, I've gotten good gifts from A since I've known him, but there's still a bit of resentment deep inside me toward the holiday, which is probably why I rarely do much in the way of celebrating. Whenever A asks me what I want for V-day, I tell him, "chocolate milk and treats." Yep, my fondness for cheap things extends to every part of my life. He doesn't even need to spring for roses--just a variety of chocolate and my favorite beverage will do just fine.

So, in honor of my least-loved holiday, I thought I'd go through my all-time favorite treats:

DonutsI know, I know. They're about the worst things you can eat, but I don't care. Glazed, sugar, sour cream, cream-filled, fritters, cinnamon rolls--Mmmm. I'm getting hungry for one right now.

Chocolate milk

My favorite is chocolate milk from the store, but Hershey's syrup or even the mix will do in a pinch. Best treat combo ever? Donuts and chocolate milk, of course.

Chocolate-covered cinnamon bearsI never tried these until I lived in the West, but they are divine. Chocolate and cinnamon doesn't sound like the best combination, but oh my goodness, it is.

Peanut M&MsWhile I love all M&Ms (except for the dark chocolate ones--yuck), I love the peanut ones the most. I recently started buying the huge bag when I go to Costco once a month. The first time, it lasted about three weeks. The second time, one week. Oops.

Starburst jelly beansMy mother loves jelly beans, but I could never get that excited about them growing up. Who knew if the green one you picked up was tasty lime or yucky mint? (The same goes for conversation hearts. So few actually taste good.) Then I discovered these little gems. All of them are so delightfully good. They're usually only in stores around Easter, so it's important to stock up when you see them.

Cadbury mini eggs

These are also only around during Easter, and they can get pricey, so you have to shop around. When you find a good deal, stock up. Also, never mistake the Cadbury creme eggs for the Cadbury mini eggs. Big difference. One is good. One is not.