Sad Little Reminder: This Might Be Your Grandma's Last Valentine's Day.

Some people love Valentine's Day. Others (me) love Valentine's Week. Some people (also me) think you should live every single day​ like it's Valentine's Day.

Some people -- whom I often call "the uninspired" (no offense) -- think Valentine's Day is "dumb" or "commercialized." I know it's not Thanksgiving, but I'm so, so grateful my mom constantly reminded me growing up, "Boring people lead boring lives." Now I'm an adult who knows everything is what you make it -- and everything is always worth it.

As such, I've always had the most epic Valentine's Days, that spill over into the Presidents' Day three-day weekend.

But this year... I realized something. 

It might be my grandma's last Valentine's Day. Ever. 

It's really easy to be me-focused or boy-focused on a holiday that's primarily focused on couples, singles, dates, and romance. I even took the liberty of making Eva's Wish List on Amazon. (Oddly, I was inspired by social justice warriors on Twitter who make prolific use of such lists.)

But...

This year, I want to remember to do something special for the women who gave my mother life so she could give me life. The women who spoiled me and took me to lakes and fishing trips and waterfalls...

And who probably haven't received a Valentine from me since I was, like, 10.

It's easier than ever to be thoughtful, what with the internet and free shipping and everything -- even if you're on a budget. There are plenty of little chocolates for only about $10, including the ​Dove Valentine's Milk Chocolate Truffles Candy Heart Gift Box ($9.98), ​Ferrero Rocher Fine Hazelnut Milk Chocolates ($10.88),  or the Lindt Swiss Luxury Selection Boxed Chocolate ($14.34).

But if you want to spend more -- definitely do.

One thing to keep in mind, though. On the one hand, with chocolate, you get what you pay for. On the other, I've found that a lot of older people tend to prefer foods they've grown up and old with, rather than the fancy, expensive things their millennial grandchildren. Lots of grandmas will prefer Dove or Lindt over some Swiss chocolatier they can't pronounce.

My advice with ordering chocolates from Amazon rather than directly from Sees, Lindt, or whomever (which I didn't, for the reason above, and because I refuse to pay for shipping -- the advantage of being online instead of brick and mortar is that you don't have to pay for rent, heating, cooling, and friendly, helpful salespeople, instead of just a warehouse. Since you're not paying for all those things, the very least you can do is pay for shipping. And if you can't... well, at least you don't have to pay an employee to replace the items in my abandoned shopping cart) is this:

READ THE REVIEWS.

Some of the reviews were pretty terrible. Some were so terrible, it was comical. I was alone in my room, and I laughed out loud several times reading them. (Though, of course, none were as funny as the most hilarious Amazon review of all time.)

For example:

I think my favorite one was called, "Should I eat it anyway?" The answer was clearly no.

Other things to be aware of: 

Dietary restrictions some old people have due to medications they're on. (Some can't have dark chocolate, caffeine, etc.)

Foods that... might be hard to eat without teeth.

Other concerns I haven't thought of? (Please share in the comments.)

​So maybe it doesn't have to be chocolate. Maybe it's just a card. Maybe it's a photo album or a custom photo calendar or a song you wrote. One product I love is the GrandPad, which is a really easy way to send photos and videos to your grandparents. At about $600 a year, it's not cheap. But my 95-year-old grandmother loves hers, and it is so worth it to be able to share my music, travel photos, and daily life with her.
​

Okay, so here's another sad little reminder: 

This could be your last Valentine's Day. This could be your best friend's last Valentine's Day. This could be your dog's last Valentine's Day. This could be your favorite teacher's last Valentine's Day.

If someone has touched your life in an important way, or if someone means a lot to you... isn't it worth doing a little something to make this day special for them? (Especially if you're single and depressed about Valentine's Day -- making other people feel good is a great way to make yourself feel better.)

Should we need an occasion to celebrate the people we love? No.

But do we? Very often. Or else we forget.

​Happy Valentine's Day!