It's a commercial rip off. I've never indulged and this year I told Manitas that I didn't want anything. And at £40 (about $70-80) for a bunch of red roses, I'm not sure he didn't feel the same! Besides, I like my roses white.

In the end he bought me some Belgian chocolates (unsolicited but yummy) and the DVD of 'League of Extraordinary Gentlemen' starring Sean Connery. Half the price and a much longer lifespan! I daresay he would have bought it anyway.

What is it with this attitude that you are nothing unless you get a bit of card with some sickly sentiment and a bit of fluff on it, sent by someone so inconsiderate as to not sign their name? How the hell are you expected to reciprocate if you don't know who sent it. Most courts would consider that 'stalking' behaviour.

And to reply to a previous post - why should it just be one day? The answer is, it shouldn't. If you love someone enough to spend vast amounts of money for just one day, then you shouldn't have to confine it to just that one day. If you love someone that much, you should tell them with words or gestures ANY and EVERY day of the year.

I've always considered the sending of shopbought Valentines fairly offensive. It's jumping on the bandwagon and sending something because you feel it SHOULD be done because everyone else is doing it. If you want to show someone your feelings, make it special and do it on a day that isn't set aside by Commerce to make money. You should do these things because you WANT to do them, not because you feel you ought to.

LTS