This week, we address etiquette questions about Valentine's Day.

Question: As a guy trying to simply survive Valentine's Day, please just tell me what not to do!

Answer: Don't cook unless you are enthusiastic and comfortable in the kitchen. Make reservations instead.

• Don't just sign the card. Express some sweet sentiments in addition to your signature.

• Don't haphazardly wrap the gift using your leftover Christmas wrapping paper. Remember, the presentation of whatever you've gotten her is a major part of the whole experience.

• Don't blame the economy for your lack of effort — a foot rub, holding her hand, drawing her a bath, putting on some romantic music and dimming the lights are all free and worthy gestures.

• Don't presume cheap sex-related paraphernalia sets a "romantic mood."

• Don't wait until Valentine's Day to show you are sweet and romantic. Some of the best gifts and gestures come any day of the year.

Question: Valentine's Day makes me feel lonely, but I don't want people to feel sorry for me. What's the proper way to survive with pride?

Answer: If there ever was a holiday whose very existence lacks social etiquette, it is surely Valentine's Day. It is also known as Single Awareness Day, which unfortunately happens to share the same acronym with seasonal affective disorder. The mass marketing of Valentine's Day, in flaming red ink everywhere, reminds all singles that they are, indeed, single.

First, embrace being single while you can. With no commitment or responsibility to anyone but yourself, cherish the freedom and let the day remind you that strength does not necessarily come in numbers. Second, doing something just for yourself is perfectly acceptable. Be your own best boyfriend or girlfriend and treat yourself to that movie, spa treatment or bouquet of flowers.

"Love grows by giving. The love we give away is the only love we keep," wrote philosopher and publisher Elbert Hubbard. If you are feeling blue, doing something nice for someone else may boost your emotional isolation. Valentine's Day celebrates love in all aspects and is not exclusive to romance. Writing a Valentine's Day card or offering chocolates to friends or family can fill your heart with love while expressing your affection for the people close to you. It also gives you the opportunity to lift the spirits of someone special who has loved and lost.

And for the diehard pessimists out there, remember that Valentine's Day is only a 24-hour period; you'll be asleep for a third of it and on Monday, the greeting card aisle will be filled with green leprechauns.

Question: Public displays of affection gross me out! What is allowed and what is alarming?

Answer: I find it curious that public displays of affection and personal digital assistants share the same acronym: PDA. Both types of PDAs are scrutinized by the public, can be quite obnoxious and luckily, share similar rules of etiquette.

In this context, romantic PDAs refer to everything from holding hands to slobbery snogging. Where and when one engages in these acts is often dictated by our culture, generation and individual awareness.

There is something sweet and romantic about witnessing loved ones in a passionate embrace as they see one another off at the train platform or airport gate. Without moments like that, Hollywood wouldn't have material for 90 percent of its movies.

Other endearing acts, such as holding hands, arms wrapped around each other, hugging and the occasional not-so-wet kiss are all appropriate in public.

Racy raunchiness, like groping a partner's posterior and lingering liplocks, make others feel uncomfortable, forcing a reluctant audience into a peep show they didn't pay for.

Don't do anything in public you wouldn't do in front of your grandparents.

Bizia Holmes Greene is founder of the Etiquette School of Santa Fe. Contact her at www.etiquettesantafe.com">www.etiquettesantafe.com or 988-2070.