How was your Valentine's Day? Did you buy a dozen long-stem roses at an extortionate price, chocolates, the expensive perfume, a piece of sparkling jewellery and a card covered with sentimental poetry written by a stranger? What about the gourmet meal at a five-star restaurant where the other patrons snuck glances around the room sizing up who has the most dysfunctional relationship in the restaurant? Where you there and how did it feel like extortion?



If your Valentine's Day celebrations were not the raving success that you had hoped, spare a minute for some other less fortunate people. The period between after Christmas and Valentine's Day is National Breakup season. Four out of ten people reassess their relationships at this time of year and couples are twice as likely to break-up at this time of the year than any other.

News Years Resolutions are not only "lose weight", "get a pay rise" "save some more" they are often "get a new love" as people at this time of year seriously contemplate their health, prosperity and above all their happiness. Lots of couples decide to ditch their other half after Christmas, having postponed the inevitable decision until after the merriment of the holiday festival and all of parties and family gatherings.

The other group who suffer around Valentine's Day are the cheating spouses who get sprung by Private Detectives over this period. If a person suspects their other half of some extra-marital activity Valentine's Day is the day of the year, when the cheating spouses are most likely to slip up and get sprung. Private detectives' workload in the weeks leading up to Valentine's Day often quadruples.

Everyone in a relationship be it marital or the bit on the side, expects a little something be it a sparkly gift or something from Victoria's secret or some special time from the other person in their life. When you have two special someones there is the added pressure of trying to be the devoted lover to two people on the same day. Then there are the gifts that have to be secretly purchased and hidden. It is a bit hard for a man passing off a huge pink box of candy as a moment of self-indulgence. Equally as suspicious is the business trip that falls over Valentine's Day.

Don't get too wound up in all the Valentine's Day hype. Valentine's Day is the one day of the year thanks to thousands of expensive media campaigns people usually involving woman clad in scanty lingerie that people believe that it takes a five-star restaurant and jewellery to show love. Do not believe it. Or embrace it if you have oodles of cash.

A single rose, dinner at home with a nice bottle of wine and lots of candles, and a hand written card all do the trick nicely. Woman love hand made cards with little notes on love and will treasure them forever long after the mass-produced card penned by a stranger ends up in the bottom of the drawer.

Remember for next year that Valentine's Day is not about gifts and expensive dinners. The day is one to be shared with the one you love in a loving manner. Sneak away for a special romantic weekend with the person you love at some time other than Valentine's Day when you can proudly assert that you have arranged the romantic getaway to spend quality time together because you want to and not because of the pressure of Valentine's Day.