Why Valentine's Day is sooo important to women!

OK, so teddy bears holding felt or plastic hearts, "singing" Hallmark cards and foil-wrapped chocolates shaped like roses may be a little cheesy. Even so, somewhat sane women can’t help but get caught up in the flowers commercials, pink and red lingerie demand, and the request for a little extra TLC and appreciation that comes with 2/14 of any year. For the love of Pete, why? Why do women make a big deal out of Valentine’s Day? Well, according to Cosmo's editors, here goes:

Reason No. 1
We deserve it
Maybe for guys, spending Valentine’s Day solo can be fun filled with ESPN and a six-pack. However, for the opposite sex, facing the “holiday” on our own can really be heartbreaking. For starters, our favorite restaurants, local movie theaters and even the neighborhood drugstores are off-limits. "Love" has clogged up every turn like thick fog! Then there are all of our hooked-up friends, who are busy sipping champagne or getting engaged (and dying to tell us about it). So, when Valentine’s Day rolls around and we have a guy in our lives, you bet your bottom dollar we want extra special attention.

Reason No. 2
It brings back that early-in-the-relationship rush
Unless you’ve just met your other half and are still in the "just-met bliss" stage, men (and women too) tend to get a little too comfortable and maybe a little lazy when it comes to romantic gestures. Even if you used to be that fellow who threw pebbles and waited outside your girlfriend’s bedroom window, singing off key, to pledge your love, chances are your new ideas of romance have taken a turn for the worst (can it get any worse?? Just kidding). So, for those gentlemen who believe that the most romantic gesture in recent history has to be letting her hold on to the remote, Valentine’s Day serves as a second chance. It’s a reason for men to remind us why we fell in love with them in the first place.

Reason No. 3
It’s kind of a competition
You’ve probably figured out that women are competitive in nature. Our jobs, our wardrobes, our bodies -- we compare everything, especially our relationships (nothing personal). For us, Valentine’s Day is like the Superbowl -- we really want to win. Even if you haven’t been doing well all season, if you bring your A-game on February 14th, we’ll be bragging about you for weeks. Send us flowers at work and we’ll display them proudly for all our coworkers to see. Surprise us with dinner reservations at a romantic restaurant and we’ll sing your praises on our Facebook update. Understand? And where's you're competitive edge? Are you really gonna let that chick and her man in the next cubicle show us up?

Reason No. 4
Valentine’s Day turns us on
Wanna get us to lose our inhibitions without breaking any laws? AHA! Well, all those mushy gestures do more than make us want to cuddle. So, think of everything that comes with Valentine's Day as foreplay and let Cupid inspire jaw-dropping, bed-shaking, wake-the-neighbors "relations." Why else do you think we spend money on matching lingerie?

When a man loves a woman
So there you have it, gentlemen. You may shudder at the mere thought of Valentine’s Day -- or actually forget it all together (even though every store will remind you) -- we hope you’ll learn to like it at least a little bit. You can make this day work for you too! Have fun with it and make your lady smile! If she is smiling, I am sure you will be smiling too!