Valentine's Day: Patch Editors Get Romantic

Journalists are trained to be implacable observers, slaves to facts and disciplined chroniclers of events. We’re here to tell other people’s stories. So on a day dedicated to opening hearts and sharing feelings, the editors of our Union County Patch sites have decided to share what we’ve learned from our most underutilized sources: ourselves.

We hope that you see a little of yourselves in here, or a little more than just a byline and a pad in us. And we hope that you share your stories with us.

, New Providence

Growing up, I used to think Valentine’s Day was the best holiday, next to Christmas, mainly because I would get a lot of sweet treats and cheesy Valentine’s Day cards from classmates and family members. I was definitely the little girl all decked out in pink and red on that day, too. I was the narrator of the third-grade Valentine’s Day play and I got to wear heart stickers on my face and the worst Tweety Bird Valentine’s Day sweatshirt. I loved it.

 As I grew older, I began to see no need for one day out of the year dedicated to reminding us to show our families, friends and significant others how much you care for them. Why not tell them and show them every day? I realized how consumed some people could become with their lives and the stresses that came along with it and they could often forget to call their mother just to say hello or tell their significant other “I love you” just because.

Life is too short. Take the time to appreciate the people in your life each day. Don’t wait around until the next Valentine’s Day.

, Clark/Garwood

On Valentine’s Day, I will always pass on the chocolates, the wine, the prix fixe dinner, the holding hands across the table while you eat, and most especially the uncomfortable lingerie in favor of what, to me, is truly romantic: f-u-n, fun.

Braised pork loin in a pomegranate glaze is delicious, but it’s not fun. You know what is fun? Drinking beer, eating roast chicken with your hands, witnessing a joust, and hearing your sweetheart shout, “FINISH HIM!” as the green knight beheads the yellow knight.

That’s right, I said it – in my book, there’s no more romantic place in New Jersey for a date than Medieval Times. Think of the adventure! The suspense! You and the one you love united for a common cause after months of battling about whose turn it is to do the laundry!

Of course, while I highly recommend this humble venue for couples of all ages, my social calendar is wide open today. Hear ye, hear ye: Any kind and noble sir who concurs with my take on romance and is willing to ferry me to this castle upon his stead (or in his sedan, if it’s cold) can court this fair maiden at jessica.remo@patch.com.

, Westfield

Valentine’s Day. When facing the deadline on this assignment, I wasn’t sure what I was going to write. So I asked myself, What does Valentine’s Day mean?

Valentine’s Day means a day to share your love with someone special. It means showing that person what they mean to you. But really it should be every day. Maybe not buying candy or cards, but any type of small gesture that shows someone that you love them. Buying them a small item, making their favorite meal, just listening. It’s the little things that show that you love them, not just what you do on Feb. 14.

Obviously there are people who don’t do this and go out of their way to not show it most of the time. Personally I don’t get it. To me the meaning of Valentine’s Day should not be shown just on Feb. 14, but on the other 364 days of the year.

, Springfield

For many men, Valentine’s Day is unpleasant business. They find the pink-and-red color scheme discomfiting. The features—heart-shaped stuff, cupid, flowers and candle-lit meals—are foreign to them. At best, they think about this stuff once a year. And they're going to be judged on their expertise with them.

But there’s no point in complaining. It’s easier than you think most of the time and the person judging you usually cares enough about you to judge you on effort as much as results. Also, more importantly, you have to suck it up and really make an effort. If you care enough about the person, you’ll weather the discomfort.

And, you know what? Chocolate is delicious. Things look nice in candlelight. Red and pink isn’t the world’s worst color combination.

Now, go man up and buy some flowers.

, Cranford

This day may be branded as a sweet holiday, but the day’s not cheery for all. For some of us, sick of syrupy sentiment and the chocolate-and-flowers commerce, those who do not wish to participate in the festivities, complain jealously when we're single, sneering at all the couples walking into Italian restaurants.

Still, single or not, I look forward to Valentine’s Day for the chance to drink a raspberry-flavored pint of beer.

It’s an annual tradition, ever since a former boyfriend and I discovered a special raspberry stout at the Harvest Moon brewpub in New Brunswick three years ago — the staff only offers it on Valentine’s Day. It’s a heavy, coffee-like brew with a raspberry zing. So now I drag whoever happens to be on my radar — whether a significant other or just a friend – to Harvest Moon.

If you think about it, raspberries are the perfect symbol for Valentine’s Day as a grown-up– the complex fruit is, like love itself, sweet and tart. As much as we like to parrot early Lennon and McCartney on Valentine’s Day, love is not all we need. We also need a lot of hard work, sweat and a bucketload of tears to make relationships work. So hats off to the raspberry, which makes that all clear.

If I sold you on the raspberry beer idea, Harvest Moon is of course not the only venue for trying it out. JJ Bitting Brewing Company in Woodbridge offers a light, sparkling raspberry wheat beer on tap.  If you want to pick up a pack instead, Belgian beermakers have crafted a raspberry-tinged “Lindeman’s Framboise Lambic,” while another U.S. brewer, Abita, makes “Purple Haze,” a wheat beer with raspberry puree added after filtration. A Polish brew called “Redd’s,” is a canned beer combined with raspberry fruit juice.

 So cheers, my cynical friends, and raise a raspberry pint to Valentine’s Day!

, Regional Editor, Union County

Ever lean over to your beloved and plant one on ’em?

“What was that for?”

“Just because,” you reply, perhaps nearly as startled that you put down the Blackberry, iPad and frappamochalatte to share a true emotion or lascivious intention. And you realize it’s been too long since your last spontaneous gesture.

That’s what Valentine’s Day is. It’s freezing, the holiday bills linger and you haven’t felt the sun on your face in months.

But when I look at Paula, really look at her, it’s days down the shore, nights in the city and all the adventures in between. This day in the middle of February is a reminiscence and a reminder, of what’s been and what’s ahead. It’s for the love first sparked and a love that still burns. It’s for being unafraid to write a love letter in public or trying to make every day better than the last.

Hallmark Holiday? Forced sentimentality? Maybe. Or it could be a kickstart to our winter hearts. Maybe it’s a call to action to spend less time focused on all the factors that conspire against romance and give in to the whims of the archer in the diaper.

, Scotch Plains/Fanwood

The life of a Patch local editor is a solitary existence. We're the only full-time employees for each of our sites, we don't work in a newsroom. Our days generally begin at 9 a.m. and end at 1 a.m. Unless something blows up, kicking us out of bed at 3 a.m. to chase another story. We're on call during the weekends. And, oh yeah, we’re journalists, which the latest polls show that we rank somewhere between loansharks and taxidermists on the social-respect totem pole. 

You can imagine how this affects our social lives.

So how will I spend this Valentine's Day? I'll probably split a box of chocolates with my co-workers, swap relationship stories with my confidential sources, draw hearts in my steno pads, and send press releases to myself labeled, "Secret Admirer." 

Resentful, you ask? Hardly. Valentine's Day is about love. And despite the workload, the pressures, or the constant handwringing over the state of the journalism today – I'll be spending today doing what I love. And for that, I'm truly happy.

, Summit

Valentine’s Day has always been anti-climatic for me. Since my birthday is four days away, Valentine’s Day is sort of a warm-up to the main event. I do love chocolate, but more often than not lately I try not to eat it (wedding diet and all, ya know). Flowers are nice but they die. And how much jewelry can one girl have?

My fiancé, Rick, and I had the best Valentine’s Day ever last year: We stayed home, cooked a delicious dinner and snuggled up on the couch to watch the Winter Olympics. But with no Olympics this year, what do we do to keep the torch burning? With the wedding coming up and the threat of my birthday looming, we agreed to pass on Valentine’s Day presents. All we really want is to go out to dinner and spend some time together to talk about everything besides work.

 But my wish for everyone is that people stop putting so much importance on Valentine’s Day. I’m lucky enough to be marrying a man whom I love, a man who actively shows me his love everyday, whether it’s with a spur-of-the-moment hug or a quick text message to say he misses me.

Don’t wait for Valentine’s Day to say, “I love you”. Say it every day.