Valentine’s Day in a Long-Term Relationship

I have been with my boyfriend for about three and a half years. This will be our fourth Valentine’s Day together, and I have to admit, this greeting card holiday has lost it’s flare. We both agreed this year to keep things small. Trying to go out to eat is impossible unless you’ve had a reservation for a few weeks and, for some crazy reason, chocolate prices are through the roof. We have done nice dinners and extravagant gifts in the past, but I think this year will be much less stressful for both of us. Not to mention, I feel incredibly awkward going out for dinner on Valentine’s Day.

Our first Valentine’s Day together, he bought flowers, chocolate, a balloon, and a teddy bear for me. He did this, of course, with the help from my best friend. It was pretty impressive. He went for the huge romantic gesture. I was walking to my 8am Calculus class and was ambushed by him and the gifts. He was so happy, but I just started panicking. I am a very shy person, so there was no way that I was walking into my class with all of the gifts. Not gonna lie, I started panic crying and asked him to just take them back to his room until after class. I know, what a drama queen. It turned out to be a good day, just with a rocky start on my part.

Needless to say, this year will not include surprise gifts in public. On Friday we will finish at work, go home, and make dinner together. Nice and simple. I have ordered him something nice to decorate his room, but nothing crazy.

I think that as we have progressed in our relationship, we have figured out that we don’t need to put our lives on display for others. He told me just the other night that what really matters is that we are spending time together. This is reassuring in a time where all that seems to matter to most people is the price tag on a date.

• dating
• her campus
• long term
• valentines day
• Wyoming