(Updated with winner) Share your Valentine’s Day goofs and you could win a MAC gift set
Congratulations to the winner: Eddie! He wrote:
“Ten years ago I had been working out of town. I was on my way home. My plane landed February 13th at 11:00 pm. I was traveling with my boss. His car was at the airport so he gave me a ride home. My wife was going to surprise me that night with my Valentines present since it was minutes from February 14th. I asked my boss in for a beer to wind down from the flight. When we walked in my wife was on the other side of the door wearing nothing but a red bow! I opened the door and we both walked in. She started screaming and took off running and my boss ran back down the sidewalk!”
I hope your wife enjoys this gift set. She deserves it after that embarrrassing moment!
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I think Valentine’s Day gets taken way too seriously. You hear stories about single people hating the date and couples going overboard on lavish gifts and dinners. So how about we take this moment to laugh a little bit — and possibly win a prize?
Some of the most memorable holiday moments for me have been the goofiest. Last year, my date got me a Clemson Snuggie. He had the best of intentions and thought he was buying me a nice fleece blanket — which he did, but this blanket also had sleeves. Fast forward to later in the evening, after a glass or two of wine, and we were having a blast modeling my gift. I’ve also used that gift to keep toasty during multiple evenings of online shopping — that’s something a box of chocolates can’t do for ‘ya.
So, what have some of your Valentine’s goofs been? Did a flaming dessert at a restaurant go rogue? Did your romantic date night turn into a crazy adventure?
Share some of your laughable experiences below and you could win a MAC gift set.
The new “Archie’s Girls” line just became available and I’ve got a nice sampling to share.
This gift set includes: a mirror, mascara, lip gloss, lip stick, nail polish, powder and eye shadow set.
Also, it’s all worth a grand total of over $160.
Ladies, enter for yourself, a friend, your mom — whoever you’d like to share the wealth with. Gentlemen, this is a great opportunity to impress your Valentine.
Enter between now and 10 a.m. Monday to be eligible. I’ll pick a winner at random and make the announcement by 11 a.m. Monday. If win and would like your gift set by Valentine’s Day you can come pick it up at the paper, otherwise it will be mailed to you.
February 5, 2013 - 12:00 PM
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One year my husband decided to take me to a nice restaurant for Valentines but, he neglected to make a reservation. They had a table but it was right next to the kitchen door so, when the waiters would come and go they were always banging into the back of the booth and making a lot of noise. Good food but bad atmosphere at that particular table. Not so romantic but, he did learn to make reservations after that.
I have always worked on Valentines Day so we typically go to dinner a few days before or after. One year, we decided to go on Valentines Day because I didn’t have to work that year. It was a mess. We had a reservation but the table before us wouldn’t leave after their time allowed, so it ran into our reservation. We ended up not being able to sit at a table for quite some time. Needless to say, working or not, we have never tried to go out on that specific night, ever, again! I guess when you’ve never done it, it’s good to try at least once.
My boyfriend insists on getting my a stuffed animal every year. Needless to say, I have quite the collection (which doesn’t exactly scream I am a cool 23 year old!). A couple years ago, he really took the cake when he gave me a GIANT teddy bear that barely fits on my bed. Impressive size…but really?! Flowers would have done just fine
Regardless, my kitten really has enjoyed snuggling up on it, so it was certainly a total loss!
*not a total loss
The first Valentine’s day I had to celebrate with my now-fiance, I wasn’t sure we were celebrating, because I wasn’t sure we were there.
So about an hour before we were supposed to meet, I figured I should probably get something, so I hopped on a bus to go to the store.
I got on the wrong bus with no shops on its route, and by the time I got back to my starting point with no gift, it was time to meet. Of course, he’d decided to go all out, and had gotten me some nice chocolates, some teas, and a plant.
Will there be any anecdotes on here where the guy isn’t dissed for trying to guess how to please his lady? Talk about an unbalanced ‘holiday’…
Crooked Road, this isn’t about “dissing” anyone, I just wish people would lighten up about the big day. Sharing some funny stories seems like a good way to do that, and it doesn’t have to be any one person’s fault — it could be totally out of anyone’s hands. If you have a story about something a woman did feel free to share, you’ll see I encouraged men to join in, too.
I love my husband dearly, but he’s hopeless at gift giving! One year, early in our marriage, he was travelling for business to beautiful San Diego (where we got engaged) and would be coming back home on Valentine’s Day. We were talking on the phone the night before and he was really playing up what he got me for Valentine’s Day and how much I was going to love it-yada, yada, yada… Jokingly, I said to him “Wow this sounds so romantic and awesome-you didn’t get me a tshirt, did you?” Long, long pause….well he had! I just busted out laughing and after awhile, he did too! We’ve been married for 21 years and over the years I’ve received a cigarette lighter (engraved, mind you, just with the wrong wedding date), school supplies, hair spray and cash. He’s not the greatest gift giver in the world, but he’s the best husband, father and friend and I wouldn’t trade him for anything-well maybe something in a blue Tiffany box–kidding!!
My ex boyfriend and I had our anniversary in early February, so we usually combined our anniversary gifts with Valentine’s Day so we didn’t feel pressure to go all out twice in the span of one week. He was normally a good gift giver, but required some guidance (usually from a sister or friend). I wasn’t (and am still not) a total sap about Valentine’s Day, but I was expecting something fairly fancy as it was a combo third anniversary and Valentine’s Day gift. I ended up receiving a tire cover (plain, not even one with a saying or sports team on the back)for the spare tire on the back of my Jeep. He knew, even as I was opening it, that it was a terrible idea. In fact, his first words were, “I’m sorry.” Now, it’s pretty funny looking back on it, and I like to think I wasn’t really upset with him. Of course, I had a good friend receive a weight-loss sauna suit for Christmas from her boyfriend a few years back, so the tire cover isn’t that bad.
Also, crooked road, did you read the comments before you posted yours? Both Jess and Amy shared Valentine’s stories that were in NO WAY dissing their significant others. You are such a pleasant presence on the Roanoke Times blogs. Why don’t you contribute something positive instead of raining on everyone’s parade? I thought this was a one way to reflect on Valentine’s Days gone wrong and get a laugh.
Ten years ago I had been working out of town. I was on my way home. My plane landed February 13th at 11:00 pm. I was traveling with my boss. His car was at the airport so he gave me a ride home. My wife was going to surprise me that night with my Valentines present since it was minutes from February 14th. I asked my boss in for a beer to wind down from the flight. When we walked in my wife was on the other side of the door wearing nothing but a red bow! I opened the door and we both walked in. She started screaming and took off running and my boss ran back down the sidewalk!
I love Mac cosmetics! I would love to win this for Valentine’s day!
crooked road needs to lighten up….
A few years ago, my boyfriend (now-husband) and I were living in an apartment in New Jersey. Since going out to dinner on a regular night there can be a pain due to the traffic, there was no way we were going to go out on Valentine’s Day! I decided to cook him a nice dinner, something I never did because I hated to cook. Needless to say, the frying pan where I was cooking the chicken started smoking terribly. He walked in the door with an apartment filled with smoke, all the doors open, the cat running around & bouncing off the walls, and me crying because I ruined dinner. Once he “saved the day” and cooked ME dinner, we ended up being able to laugh about it. It’s a night we’ll never forget!
Ok, please don’t kill me but one year I thought it would be cool if my wife & I would just go to a store and read a Valentine’s Day card to each other and then leave. I don’t remember why, except that we usually end up throwing out the card after the “Sinefield” appropriate amount of time. I will never, never, never do this again. Yes, I do realize this is probably a form of stealing & makes me seem cheap.
Mark, I’ve actually heard of quite a few couples doing that same thing for anniversaries, too. I think it’s kind of cute, but from your tone I’m guessing it didn’t go over well!
Eddie, that’s horrifying — but hilarious! I can’t imagine the embarrassment of anyone involved in that situation.
Instead of a date night or gift gone awry, I’ve got stories from working in retail during Valentine season a couple of different times in my life. The first was in a florist shop, and on Feb. 14 it was incredible. From morning ’til night, my co-workers and I hustled nonstop to throw together floral arrangements and gift boxes of dozens and dozens of roses. By the end of that Valentine’s Day, my hands and wrists were scratched, punctured and bleeding from all the rose thorns, and even though I was young and fit, boy, did my feet ache! Another time in my life, I was working the Hallmark card department during Valentine’s Day. I learned from observation a fun difference between the way men and women view Valentine’s Day. Many if not most of the women purchased their V-Day cards by very early February at the latest (many bought their cards in January). But many of the men waited until the last minute – and I mean on Valentine’s Day – to buy their cards, when the pickings were slimmest. Those men were anxious and rushed, and the Valentine card section looked like a tornado had hit it at the end of the day. Having said all this, those are fun memories for me, and Valentine’s Day remains my absolute favorite holiday, as it has been for many years.
I’ve always wondered if people in those types of industries loved or loathed the holiday. I’m glad to hear it’s always been a positive for you, Susan!
I’ve never really had a goofy Valentine’s Day, but does being dumped twice mere days before the holiday count? Needless to say, my fiancé and I don’t make much out of Valentine’s Day!
One year I bought my then girlfriend, now wife, the biggest teddy bear I could find and put it in the front seat of her car. She said when she came out from class and found it she initially thought that there was someone in her car and got a little scared. But, when she figured out it was a bear she loved it and still has it today, 19 years later.