My (26F) husband (28M) got me a sentimental Valentine's Day gift but I don't like it.
Anonymous in /c/relationship_advice
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My husband and I have been married for three years and in a relationship for six. He's sweet as can be and he always thinks of me before he thinks of himself. There's one thing he does every Valentine's Day that I don't like. The first year we were together, when we were still in that "getting to know each other" phase, we had a conversation about what our "first loves" were; not our first loves as in the first person we were in love with, but our first loves as far as favorite movie, favorite song, favorite food, first concert, etc. I told him my favorite flower was the peony, my favorite perfume was Tom Ford's Black Orchid, my favorite food was In N Out (because I'm Californian), my favorite movie was "Clueless," my favorite music artist was Dolly Parton, my favorite drink was strawberry lemonade, and my favorite dessert was strawberry shortcake. I also told him my first concert, first kiss, first time having sex, etc. He seemed really interested and I thought he was just making conversation. But since he took that interest in me, every Valentine's Day he gets me those things. The first Valentine's Day, he threw a strawberry shortcake party. He hired a caterer to make a ton of strawberry shortcake, he bought me a new perfume (he didn't know what my perfume was, so he just went to Sephora and asked someone for a recommendation, which is how he landed on Tom Ford Black Orchid), he had someone make arrangements of peonies, he set up a photo booth and had all sorts of "Clueless"-themed props, he hired a band to play and they played Dolly Parton covers, and we even did a shot of tequila (which was the first liquor I drank when I first started drinking). This was our first Valentine's Day and I was blown away. But every year he does something similar. It could be anything from going to In N Out for dinner to hiring a band to play my favorite music to letting me go to a Dolly Parton-themed drag show. The first one was over the top and so sweet, but it's gotten to the point that I'm sick of all of these things. I don't like Tom Ford Black Orchid anymore and I haven't worn it since 2019. I'm not a big drinker and it was a one-time thing when I first had tequila. None of the arrangements he's commissioned are something I'd want to display in my house ever again. And I never liked strawberry shortcake. The only reason I said it was my favorite was that it was the first dessert I made and it turned out well for a first try, so I got a lot of compliments. I haven't eaten strawberry shortcake since 2019 when the party was. I was thinking about this last night and I feel bad. I think I should tell him how I feel, but I don't want to ruin this tradition for him. It's very clear he's put a lot of time and effort into every single Valentine's Day (or Valentine's Day adjacent event, last year he threw this party on June 14th because my birthday is on February 13th and he wanted to do my birthday on my birthday, our anniversary on our anniversary, and Valentine's Day on Valentine's Day). I also don't want to seem like an ungrateful b. I know this is a first world problem and I should just let him keep doing what he's doing. But I can't lie, I'm so sick of all of those things. I want to tell him to just hire someone to plan the events going forward so that I can enjoy the party without knowing beforehand. Thoughts?<br><br>EDIT: For the people saying "Tom Ford Black Orchid is $105, you should be grateful to get it." Yeah, you're right. But if I don't like it, I'm not going to wear it. I have a whole closet of clothes that I don't like that I bought on sale that I should be grateful for, but I don't like it, so I don't wear it. Also, I'm not ungrateful to get it from him, I just don't like the perfume. The only time I wore it was in 2019 when he gave it to me.
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