You may not know it, but I'm actually a pretty sensitive guy. I can get mushy like the rest of them and really enjoy treating my wife to a romantic evening when I can. But despite that, I have to say this about that little "holiday" coming up this week: Valentine's Day is the biggest crock.

Just another one of those made-up Hallmark holidays, V-Day regularly spreads far more pain than love. First, there are all the people out there who aren't married, dating, or in a serious relationship. Or worse, there are those who just broke up with someone or are going through a rough divorce. Valentine's Day is just a way of the calendar giving those folks the middle finger.

I used to think that Valentine's Day was a dating person's holiday. The pricey flowers, the expensive dinners out -- not to mention the cost of a babysitter on a holiday. The practical side of me can't help but roll eyes at the over-commercialization that has become February 14.

Have you seen how much college is these days?

But lately, I've realized that Valentine's Day might be exactly what our marriage needs, even if it does cost us a pretty penny to celebrate.

Ahhhhh, the holidays. If we're to believe the schwoopsy-poo movies and the commercials interrupting our favorite programs, this is truly the most wonderful time of the year. And in a lot of ways, it is. The spirit of giving, of kindness, of joy, those are wonderful things that happen this season (and should happen ALL year long).

But there are a lot of challenges with the holidays, especially for those of us who suffer from depression. Here are some ways you can manage your stress and depression during the holidays.

If men were smart, they'd do all of their Christmas shopping on Black Friday. Yes, fighting the insane crowds all jacked-up on caffeine. Trust me, it's better than the usual alternative.

See, here's a little secret: guys suck at shopping. We hate it. We're not good at it and because of all that, we pretty much put it out of our minds.

"Thanksgiving's here? Bah. There's plenty of time to get my wife a present." Rinse and repeat.

Every year when the holidays roll around, I always joke about how I probably need to think about taking on a second job simply to afford the gifts for everyone on my list. With each passing year, it seems like everything gets pricier and pricier, and I wind up spending hundreds (or thousands) of dollars without even realizing how much stuff is adding up to.

And I really think a lot of the reason most of us find our spending getting out of control is because when we go out shopping, we have a tendency to indulge in impulse buying, so we wind up with way more gifts than we need.

However, when we stick to ordering gifts online, it's much easier to maintain a budget -- even as low as $100 for the whole family.

I do most of my holiday shopping online, but even with the relative ease of Amazon's free shipping (Prime membership FTW!), there are two major pain-in-the-butt things about gift-buying this time of year. 1) The fact that if you have little kids who believe in Santa, you totally don't get the credit for the fact that YOU were the one who went to the ends of the earth to buy that impossible-to-find toy they wanted, and 2) stocking stuffers. Oh my god, after all the shopping and buying and wrapping, you still have to do stocking stuffers?

If you don't plan ahead, the act of buying stocking contents can all too easily turn into the hellish, expensive nightmare that is the Overcompensating Party Favor Bag. Let us avoid the Stocking Stuffer Trap this year, fellow moms! Here are 10 awesome, home-run ideas for your kids' stockings (and best of all, each one costs under $10):

Holiday shopping is hard enough as it is, but when you take picky tween recipients into consideration, the tough factor definitely gets bumped up a notch or two.

Those pesky almost teenagers can be virtually impossible to buy for, especially since things they find "cool," like electronics, gadgets, clothes, accessories, and the like, come with a pretty hefty price tag.

I can bake, and I can get crafty in the kitchen (gimme a double-boiler and I'll make a mean batch of chocolate-covered pretzels), but I've always been envious of those women who gift incredible-looking, homemade holiday goodies to all their family and friends this time of year. They're always presented in such an adorable way -- in a cute tin or box with a bow. And their cookies or brownies or candies always look so perfect, too. Like they should be sitting behind glass at a fancy bakery. My baked goods never come out looking so flawless. But maybe I haven't been baking the right ones ...

For instance, check out this two-ingredient, 20-minute, and super-easy Oreo bark recipe. It's foolproof -- bound to look delectable no matter how you slice it! And I'm pretty sure someone would have to be just plain crazy to not be thrilled to receive it as a gift. Check it out ...