Wanna Be My Valentine?

Some sweetness

It’s Valentine’s Day, I guess, which I’m only aware of because lately I’ve exclusively been watching QVC and the hosts have been wearing cardigans with hearts all over them.

I’m generally ambivalent about this day, but in a world that feels bitter, a little sweetness won’t give you a toothache. Whether that’s a Milano cookie or a make out session or a ladies’ night in, so be it!

One upside of Valentine’s Day is that it does justice for my favorite color, red, which I’m definitely not ambivalent about. It’s a strong, divisive color, and that’s what I love about it. It encapsulates a solid slice of the feelings wheel, representing anger, which my therapist spent five years trying to get me to feel. The closest I get is anger’s watered down cousin, irritation. 

In high school I had to move from my childhood house to a new home in the Middle of Exactly Nowhere, Wisconsin with a stepdad who’d give me the silent treatment for weeks at a time. My dog had to die — too fragile for the move, I was told, though I think it had something to do with the new cherry wood floors — but I got to pick out a paint color for my bedroom. I went with the reddest red, ill-advised say sleep experts, but it was a relief from the drab grey I chose for my last bedroom. My fifth grade self thought I was sophisticated, but really I was just depressed.

My stepdad called my new red bedroom the Hell Hole, never letting me forget that the walls needed three coats. My mom repainted it white the week I moved away to college and he’s dead now. I still love red. 

No matter what red reminds you of — passion, fire, war, Coca-Cola, drinking the blood of Christ from that disgusting communal cup — I suggest adding a shot of it to your life. Red, if anything, is good at helping you feel something. Which feelings? Those are up to you and another excuse to consult the feelings wheel.

Below are a few of my favorite red this and thats. May your Valentine’s Day be sweet.

The Six Bells Simply Red Painted Candle // Gorjana Amour Bracelet // Dazzle Dry Red Hot Chili Polish // Christine Alcalay Love Note Top // Stora Skuggan Thumbsucker // Le Bon Shoppe Boyfriend Socks // Aprilia Leather Driving Gloves // Tulip Candelabra // Papier Italian Summer Notecard Set

Some faves:

• The Six Bells Simply Red Painted Candle: A hand-painted taper candle as a hostess gift ensures you’ll get invited over for dinner again.

• Dazzle Dry Red Hot Chili Polish: Bury me with a fresh coat of Red Hot Chili on my nails.

• Aprilia Leather Driving Gloves: Since I moved to LA I’ve been mildly obsessed with finding driving gloves that make me feel like a heroine in a Hitchcock movie. I don’t wear a red light therapy glove for 20 minutes every day just to let my hands cook under my windshield.

• Papier Italian Summer Notecard Set: You do have nice stationery, right? You do send surprise cards in the mail, right? Right?

Tower 28 LipSoftie // Jenny Lemons Mini Strawberry Hair Clip // Cuyana Fold Cardholder // Else Bare Minimal Soft Triangle Bra // Schoolhouse Sidnie Portable Lamp // Geometry Cherry Gingham Tea Towel // LSA International Folk Vase // Pablo Neruda Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair // Rumored Sunnyside Midi Dress

More faves:

• Jenny Lemons Mini Strawberry Hair Clip: Everything’s so serious these days, but your hair clips don’t need to be.

• Schoolhouse Sidnie Portable Lamp: No wire hangers!!! except no overhead lights!!! (But also no wire hangers either.) This lamp spares you from the dreaded overhead light, which Mariah Carey rightfully calls “abusive.”

• Rumored Sunnyside Midi Dress: This slinky little number makes you feel and look as hot as possible with as little effort as possible.

If you’ve made it this far, you truly are my Valentine. I started Night Vision on a wine-fueled Saturday night in 2020. It’s come and gone over the years but it’s back to stay. Here you’ll find my thoughts on travel, shopping, being a good human, and whatever else I find worthy of your inbox. 

Thanks for being here. ♥️