Timing perfect for football, flings, film

Call it the perfect storm. This weekend’s calendar is filled with events and holidays that are sure to create matrimonial bliss for many.

No matter your interests, there is bound to be something that you will enjoy. The signs have literally been everywhere. From giant footballs and snack selections to hearts and every imaginable shade of red and pink, you need no reminder that the Super Bowl and Valentine’s Day are coming.

While you can certainly observe these events and holidays on your own, they are best celebrated with someone who you love, hope to love or just enjoy spending quality time with.

How great is it that these two occasions happen on consecutive days?

Sports fans look forward to the granddaddy of all football games each year. The matchup pits the top team from the American Football Conference (this year the Cincinnati Bengals) against the top team from the National Football Conference (this year the Los Angeles Rams).

Even nonsports people look forward to the game, if not for the tackles, touchdowns and sacks, then for the commercials between the plays. Each year, companies debut creative ads during the game intended to make you laugh, cry or think — as long as it brings their brand to mind and the conversation.

There’s also the prop bets (you don’t actually have to gamble money to enjoy them) that speculate on events that will take place during the game, but don’t necessarily relate to the final outcome.

These can include events such as who will win the coin toss, who will receive the first penalty, what singer will perform first during the halftime show, what will be highest or lowest scoring quarter and what color will the liquid be that gets poured on the winning coach. The possibilities are practically endless.

Romance takes center stage the following day when valentines of all ages and genders (or nongenders) think of love and ways to express that emotion. It’s a day for flowers and flowery prose. It’s a day to devote to your sweetheart and sample sweet things. It’s a day to let your love shine and for shiny, sparkling jewels.

With the celebrations back to back, it allows couples with vastly different interests the opportunity to each devote a day to their particular event helping balance the playing field — pun intended.

But there’s one more observance — one you might have missed. Saturday is Global Movie Day. A relatively new “holiday,” Global Movie Day was created in 2020 by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to celebrate movies’ power to reach, connect and inspire people around the world.

It’s about the power of the stories told through film. That’s something everyone can enjoy as there are so many genres.

It comes in the heart of the Academy’s Oscar season and coincidentally happens during Boulder City’s own Dam Short Film Festival.

The festival, which will be presented virtually again this year, begins today and continues through Monday. It features more than 140 films, separated into 23 blocks. With a household pass, everyone in your home can watch them all, at their convenience throughout the festival.

Movies. Action. Love. It all comes together like a well-planned script for success and harmony at home. Get the chips, pop the corn, find some chocolate and let the celebrating begin.

Hali Bernstein Saylor is editor of the Boulder City Review. She can be reached at hsaylor@bouldercityreview.com or at 702-586-9523. Follow @HalisComment on Twitter.