When I’m asked about my favorite holiday, people are expecting my answer to be something like Christmas or Thanksgiving. Don’t get me wrong, both of those times of year are great and I wouldn’t trade them for the world.

However, my favorite holiday is Valentine’s Day. Now, before you raise your arms in the air in protest and start to say things like “Valentine’s Day was made up by Hallmark to make a profit”, let me explain.

Firstly, there is an actual reason we celebrate the holiday. The day of the celebration of romance is a remnant of ancient Roman and Christian traditions.

Is Hallmark complaining about it? No, of course not. But you can’t discredit the entire holiday just because the candy, flower, and obscenely-large-bear industries make a large profit that time of year.

The thing I always hear is “I can show my affection to my significant other any other day of the year, why should I do it today?”.

Let me ask you something: do you? Do you show them your affection during other times of the year? Because if you do, then I applaud you.

But if it’s such a routine part of your relationship, why is doing it today such a big deal? However, if I was to ask your significant other if you did, I can almost guarantee that the answer is that you don’t do it enough.

The fact of the matter is that most of us are overworked, stressed, or feeling undervalued. It’s no one’s fault; self-doubt is a natural part of being alive.

Valentine’s Day just gives everyone a chance to stop thinking about school, work, or family drama and just focus on their loved ones. It’s not that anyone doesn’t do a good job in their relationship or that they have to prove anything to anyone else.

It’s just a day to stop and smell the roses.

But the thing that bothers me the most is that people stigmatize Valentine’s Day as a day exclusively for couples. Growing up, my dad and my mom were the world’s best valentines. When he was in his twenties, my brother was his own valentine and bought himself a gift.

The holiday is about love and care, but it can also be about self-love and personal care.

Regardless of everything, the thing that I have the most appreciation for in regards to this holiday is that we are compelled to celebrate love. We have an entire day dedicated to the intoxicating cocktail of neurotransmitters that fire off in our brain to give us a life-changing experience.

Even if we don’t mean to, we can’t help but admire that singular emotion, whether it’s shared with a family member, close friend, sibling, or significant other.

So, I challenge you this Valentine’s Day to try to see it the way I do. Put on those rose-colored glasses and see it for all its potential and its meaning.

See it as a time to just focus on who you love for a bit – whoever that may be. See it as a time to treat others or yourself.

And in the end, I hope you gain a new perspective on an old holiday.