Will you be our Valentine? (Jesseca’s Mix)

Childish collage: Jesseca Bagherpour

In honor of Valentine’s Day, we to make mixes of some of our favorite love songs. We ask you to forget your cynicism, open your hardened heart and, well, be our valentine. Also, feel free to steal our lists and make a last-minute Valentine’s Day gift for that special someone.

By Jesseca Bagherpour

Say what you will about Valentine’s Day–it’s a cliched Hallmark holiday, people place too much emphasis on one day when they should be expressing their love every day, it makes single people even more aware of how lonely they are … on second thought … shut up. Valentine’s Day is great.

Remember how fun Valentine’s Day was when you were a kid? All the kids gave each other valentines (so you could express your undying love to your crush without anyone suspecting a thing) and you were encouraged to stuff your face with cookies, cupcakes and candy which were all readily provided by teachers and parents. What’s not to love?

While I don’t think Valentine’s Day is some monumentally important holiday that everyone should honor in the most extravagant ways possible, I still like to celebrate it. It’s fun to embrace the child within and give people valentines–especially handmade ones–and candy. It’s also nice to have a quiet night in with someone I like or possibly even love and exchange small tokens of affection. One of my favorite gifts to give and/or receive is a mixed CD (or tape, although those are a dying art form).

What follows is the mix I came up with for Valentine’s Day 2010.*