by Roz Warren

Valentine’s Day: the best day of the year, or the worst? The words “Valentine’s Day” evoke images of flowers, chocolate and romantic, candle-lit dinners. But when I asked my Facebook friends how they observe the day, I got a surprising variety of responses:

The first, from a happily married pal, was unabashedly smug: “I plan to brush up on my 'schadenfreude.'”

Followed quickly by this lament from a single friend: “I just try to ignore the whole thing.”

Indeed, being single on Valentine’s Day can be challenging. So what, pray tell, will my un-partnered pals be up to on this annual celebration of Happy Coupledom?

“I always wear black.”

“I’ll be hiding under the bed until it all blows over.”

“I just pretend it’s already the 15th.”

“Take Out. Done! (So I won’t be tormented by all the happy couples.)”

As my friends continued to comment, one thing became quite clear: It’s great to be happily coupled on Valentine’s Day:

“Chocolate, flowers and bubbly for us!”

“My hubby always picks up a bottle – or two – of champagne. With flowers and candy, of course.”

“We spend a quiet evening in our garden and celebrate our enduring love as the sun is setting. It’s really lovely!”

Not every happy couple celebrates like this. Although I truly hope this pal was just kidding around: “Instead of going through the drive-thru, on Valentine’s Day I bring my beloved right into the McDonald’s, where we dine in style.”

I’m inspired by the folks who have creatively repurposed this celebration of romantic love:

“On Valentine’s Day, I always host a Mother/Daughter Tea Party. It’s a beautiful event, often with one or more families represented by three or four generations. A celebration of love, but of a different kind.”

“On Valentine’s Day, my husband and I deliver flowers to local widows, a tradition we started one year after a dear friend had passed. While my hubby was at the florist buying me flowers, on an impulse he also bought flowers for our recently widowed friend. We always deliver them in secret. Sadly, we’ve had to add more deliveries to the list each year. But it is so rewarding to spread some joy.”

“I’ve never been romantic, so I’ll order a useful farm animal for a third world family from Heifer International in honor of my sweetie. ‘Roses are Red/Violets Are Blue/I love you so much/Here’s a llama for you.’”

However you choose to celebrate, I hope your Valentine’s Day is wonderful.

Roz Warren, a local librarian and contributor to the Local, writes for everyone from the Funny Times to the New York Times and is the author of “Our Bodies, Our Shelves: Library Humor.”