Do less; get more

Although February has been celebrated as a month of romance for centuries, the origins of Valentine's Day are uncertain. Stories of tradition date back to ancient Romans, Christians and pagans. According to History.com, "The Catholic church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred."

Another story suggests Romans killed Valentine for helping Christians escape from prison. Before his death, he sent his love a final letter signed, "from your Valentine."

Pagans celebrated Lupercalia, a fertility festival Feb. 15, during which men would tear the hide of a recently sacrificed goat into strips, dip them in blood and slap women and the crops with them in the name of fertility.

Although there is no definitive answer as to how the holiday first came about, there is one thing you can be sure of: Valentine's Day is not about buying expensive dinners at fancy restaurants, mechanical bears that pretend to strip to some over-played pop song, over-priced bouquets of flowers or anything else that's just going to end up in the trash in a few days.

Women want to be pampered, treated to a day of lavishness, only adding to their already over-grown princess complexes.

They want flowers, heart-shaped boxes of chocolate and strings of pearls.

A woman expects a man to show up at the doorstep on horseback, ready to sweep her off her feet to ride into the sunset with a puppy in one hand and an engagement ring in the other.

Beware, men. No one can save you if you forget the flowers. For the love of god, don't forget the flowers. And they better be roses!

I can hear the sorry echoes of relationships past: "Carnations?"

How do you tell them it's not that they're not worth the 75 bucks; it's that the roses will be dead in a week. You may as well burn the $75 or give it to the homeless.

Men just want to get V-day over with. They'll be happy with a six-pack of beer and a thank you for being "such an awesome guy."

Guys don't usually know the meaning of romance. A guy's idea of a romantic gift would be for his girlfriend to invite that woman she caught him checking out at the restaurant to a threesome. A guy's idea of love is his girl doesn't leave the room when he farts. Now that's commitment.

I am not anti-Valentine's Day. I just don't understand why people wait for one day out of the year to show their special someone how much they care.

If you're already being a good partner, any reminder of how much you love each other, no matter how big or small, should do just fine. Your love for another shouldn't be measured by material goods presented on a set day of the year.

It should be measured by happiness and celebrated by small tokens of thoughtful affection.

If you really want something special for your valentine this year, make your own Valentine's Day card and decorate it with pictures of the two of you.

Cook your love a nice romantic dinner. Write a poem or love letter to celebrate your bond. Keep the ideas genuine and get more from doing less.