Last weekend was Family Day in B.C., this weekend is Valentine’s Day, and the juxtaposition of these two holidays is remarkable.
Last week, reporter Christine Wood wrote a column about V-Day and revealed that in North America alone it’s a billion-dollar industry for chocolates, cards, flowers and whatever other heart-shaped frivolities are on the shelf. That’s not even including the cost of fancy dinners and weekend getaways.
Unlike Valentine’s Day, no one is really expected to buy anything for Family Day. The Sunshine Coast Regional District opened up the rec centres and had free admission to Dakota Ridge, because the point of the holiday is to spend time bonding with your family – and money doesn’t buy that.
Sure, you could go all out and spend a fortune treating your family to the best Family Day ever, but that would be at your own discretion.
They probably exist, but I have yet to see anything even resembling a Happy Family Day card. It’s just not in the ethos of this relatively new annual tradition – and I am so happy about that. No one should have to use money to prove their affection for another person – not your family members and not your lovers.
The death knell of my longest relationship to date (five years) came on a Valentine’s Day when I “didn’t do enough,” and was “clearly not invested in this relationship.”
My ex said she wasn’t super into V-Day, but apparently I was supposed to read between the lines on that one.
Last weekend I went for a short hike with my dad to Sargeant Bay. We both brought our cameras and took a leisurely time photographing and talking about life and relationships. It was really nice and it’s the kind of thing I typically don’t make time for.
Neither of us felt like walking all the way back to my parents’ house – it’s uphill – so we called my mom and got her to pick us up. We stopped for pizza on the way back then watched Star Trek: Into Darkness as a family.
It was such a simple day, but so enjoyable. Other than the price of pizza and a Netflix subscription, it didn’t cost anything. There was certainly no pressure to make it a highlight of the year like most mainstream holidays.
The day ended without fanfare, and I went home. But we all agreed to set some time aside each week so we can connect as a family.
Speaking as someone who doesn’t really like holidays, I have to say Family Day is probably my new favourite. If only we could coordinate with the rest of Canada on when it happens.
