Caroline Lowe
I love Valentine’s Day. As a self-proclaimed hopeless romantic, the idea of an entire day dedicated to showing people how much you love them is so exciting. While the holiday can be a sore spot for those who are single, it isn’t just a day to celebrate romantic relationships. Many people use Valentine’s Day as an opportunity to celebrate all different types of love. For example, “Galentine’s Day,” which has become popular in recent years, is a great alternative for those who don’t have a significant other to spend the day with. After all, your friends deserve love too.
The emergence of the “situationship,” signifying our generation’s overall unwillingness to commit to a relationship, also has many people convinced that skipping out on Valentine’s Day altogether is the way to go. But, instead of focusing on what’s lacking in your life, focus on self-love and take the “buy yourself flowers because he isn’t going to” saying seriously.
Valentine’s haters also comment on the gaudy decor and commercialized nature of the holiday, but I find the aesthetic of Valentine’s Day to be so stinkin’ cute. From sweet treats to decorations, I have to restrain myself from buying everything in sight that’s pink and heart-shaped. This might make me a victim of corporate greed, but I think the happiness I associate with the holiday is worth it. So, why hate a holiday that celebrates love? Just find a fun way to spend it and show the people in your life a little extra love.
Sydney Davenport
Valentine’s Day is the worst, not just because of the over-the-top couples, but even more so the bubbly singles that tag along with their friends or go out by themselves. For a holiday surrounding love, it doesn’t bring any of that to my life. Many resort to the ‘I don’t like Valentine’s Day’ route because they aren’t in a relationship, but that’s not where I was going with it, it’s the overly positiveness of the day. Not to say that I’m not positive but, a little goes a long way.
The girls that suggest celebrating “Galentine’s Day” are only looking for a way to avoid those annoying lovey-dovey couples on dates. The excessive optimism just bugs me, especially from those girls. They just don’t make the holiday any better.
Heart-shaped everything brings nothing but annoyance to mind when I see it. With heart-shaped flower bouquets, heart-shaped chocolate boxes and even heart-shaped serving trays of chicken minis from Chick-fil-A. Seeing the cute jewelry is one thing but everything else to me seems like too much. Between the merchandise and the overproduction of said merchandise it’s absurd.
Singles that choose self-care on Valentine’s Day are the ones that bring me the most disgust. Buying chocolate for yourself is one thing but going out to buy yourself flowers and get dinner seems a little odd to me; of course each to their own.
Now matter how healthy the relationship, Valentine’s Day is just a huge opportunity for unhappiness. One generalization is that the day after Valentine’s Day is hearing the stories from upset girlfriends and unhappy singles. Not every relationship has this problem, but hearing about it only makes it a fear of mine. Whether it’s hearing how they talked about their last valentine, they didn’t give the right gift or they didn’t select the right restaurant for the date. Valentine’s can bring stress before and after; it’s often overhyped and it turns out to be a bigger heartbreak than anything else.
A major thing that bugs me about Valentine’s Day is those couples that will get into a relationship only a couple weeks or even days before Valentine’s for the sole purpose of having a valentine and getting gifts. This targets the younger crowds in their first relationship that just want that Instagram post or the box of chocolates to prove they have a significant other. This to me is a whole other level of annoying, because these people are doing it solely for attention and not for any specific heartfelt reason which is what the whole holiday is for.
I think that Valentine’s Day is great if you’re an outgoing person with a positive attitude, but for those with a little more practicality, Valentine’s Day is just another holiday made for companies to sell happiness to you through material things. For me, staying in with a good movie and snacks is the way to go.