February is a holiday lovers dream.

The month kicked off with Groundhog Day last Tuesday when Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow leading us all to an early spring.

I can’t say I’m too surprised. The abnormally warm winter has foreshadowed that for weeks. While the warm weather is my favorite, I do lament the winter we never had.

Last night, the Denver Broncos defeated the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50. Speculations abound that Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning played his final game. It’s very odd to think of the National Football League without him after 17 seasons.

I did watch the game, though I didn’t really care which team won. To me its more about the fun of the entire event.

The hoopla of being a part of something millions of others were enjoying at the same time is appealing to me.

The food, the advertisements, the game and the halftime show are all something for us to talk about with each other.

I was thrilled to see one of my favorite bands, Coldplay, have their shot at the coveted halftime performance. However, I can’t say any commercials stood out to me this year as exceptionally funny or strange.

Mardi Gras parades and balls were held this weekend in advance of Fat Tuesday tomorrow. Lots of gumbo, king cakes, moon pies and beads filled the weekend with good times and memories to last a lifetime.

I know I had a blast Saturday in downtown Vicksburg!

Sunday marks Valentine’s Day. Many grumble about the holiday by claiming its just made up to put pressure on couples and for companies to make money selling cards, flowers or chocolate. I don’t really care about that though. Any way you look at it, it’s just fun.

Giving out cards and sometimes receiving them in return is a nice way to remind someone that they mean something to you.

It doesn’t have to be taken so seriously. It’s just about doing something nice to make someone’s day or letting someone know you are thinking about them.

When I was in school last year, we were asked to write about our best Valentine’s Day. While slightly embarrassing, I really enjoyed my Valentine’s weekend a couple years ago when my dad visited me the day before the holiday, and we went to Birmingham to watch former tennis pros duke it out in the Champions Shootout Powershares Series. The next day I cut over 8 inches of my hair to donate to Children with Hair Loss. Then my mom visited me and we got tacos at our favorite place before a weekend of errand running.

It doesn’t have to be romantic to be a worthwhile day to celebrate.

A week from today will be President’s Day. With the Iowa caucus last week, the New Hampshire primary today and having presidential debates nearly every other week, who our next president will be is likely on a lot of people’s minds.

There are still so many possibilities and it will definitely be interesting to see how things unfolded in the coming months. Unfortunately, politics can be a touchy subject to broach, but I hope we can all have civilized conversations and become education enough to pick the best person for the job.

No matter what the holiday or occasion, its all about sharing it with others. From a person who loves nothing more than her alone time, I can honestly say that spending time with friends and family and sharing experiences with others is really what life is all about.

So break out the flip-flops for the impending springtime, talk to a coworker about the Super Bowl, eat all those pancakes before Ash Wednesday, give up something for Lent, remind someone that you love them and learn about each presidential candidate. It is February after all.

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Alana Norris is a staff writer for The Vicksburg Post. You may reach her at alana.norris@vicksburgpost.com.