<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?><oembed><version><![CDATA[1.0]]></version><provider_name><![CDATA[MUSTANGS AHEAD]]></provider_name><provider_url><![CDATA[http://mustangsahead.com]]></provider_url><author_name><![CDATA[Mustangs Ahead]]></author_name><author_url><![CDATA[https://mustangsahead.com/author/honsat/]]></author_url><title><![CDATA[Valentines Day doesn&#8217;t have to mean&nbsp;stress]]></title><type><![CDATA[link]]></type><html><![CDATA[<p style="text-align:center;"><strong>Layne Thompson</strong> &#8211; LRHS News</p>
<p>(LAKEWOOD RANCH, FL) &#8211; &#8220;Valentine&#8217;s Day stinks!&#8221; or &#8220;Valentine&#8217;s Day is great!&#8221; Guess which statement is made by a single person.</p>
<p>February 14 can be a difficult day for anyone. Those in a relationship stress over the perfect gift while those not in a relationship have to put up with all the sappy couples.</p>
<p>For the single ladies, guys too, remember that it&#8217;s just a holiday. It&#8217;s not even a big holiday either, just something to occupy the time between Christmas and Easter. Go out and do something on Valentines Day, go to a movie with your best friends or find a fun activity to do.</p>
<p>Treat yourself to a nice dinner and some frozen yogurt. Don&#8217;t stay in by yourself gorging yourself with popcorn and crying to sappy movies.</p>
<p>For the lucky ones that happen to be in a relationship on Valentines Day, just have fun with it. Plan a fun date with your boyfriend/girlfriend and exchange cheesy gifts. Try to do an activity you don&#8217;t normally do, just to switch it up. You can go watch the sunset at the beach or try going to a new restaurant. It&#8217;s a minor holiday so don&#8217;t go blowing obscene amounts of money on gifts and save those for birthdays and Christmas.</p>
<p>Guys trying to impress their ladies this Valentine’s Day can’t go wrong with gigantic teddy bears.</p>
<p><span style="font-style:inherit;line-height:1.625;">&#8220;I&#8217;ve always wanted a guy to get me one of those giant bears you can get at Walmart,&#8221; said Sophomore Sierra Camuto.</span></p>
<p>They&#8217;re inexpensive and girls find them to die for. Don&#8217;t go all out on Valentines Day because then you&#8217;ll have to top it each holiday and soon it will get to be too much. Do just enough to make your lady swoon but don&#8217;t go over board. Chocolate and jewelry are also fantastic presents for your girl. As girls we love something sweet and something shiny.</p>
<p>Lakewood Ranch High School conducted a compatibility test to find the perfect match either in your grade or the whole school. It can also find people you&#8217;d be compatible friends with. All you need to do is fill out the pink for you got in first period, then pay a small price when they come out with the results.</p>
<p>Valentine&#8217;s Day is actually a church sanctioned holiday, as Pope Gelasius deemed February 14 St. Valentine&#8217;s Day in the late fifth century. According to legend, St. Valentine actually sent the first &#8220;valentine&#8221; greeting himself. While in prison, it is believed that Valentine fell in love with a young girl, who may have been his jailor&#8217;s daughter, who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter, which he signed &#8220;From your Valentine,&#8221; an expression that is still in use today. So of course card and chocolate companies had to take advantage of it.</p>
<p>So remember, it&#8217;s just a holiday, go do something different than your usual, and do enough but not too much. Have a happy Valentines Day!</p>
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