Once February hits, there is a noticeable change in the air (but mostly stores). Chocolate boxes and stuffed teddy bears line the shelves. Pink, red, and brightly colored apparel and greeting cards spring up and the world basically becomes a sea of pink and red in spirit of Valentine’s Day.

I am not in love, but I am in love with Valentine’s Day.

I love love. I love the ridiculous greeting cards and overstuffed, ludicrously large teddy bears. I love the in-your-face, huge romantic gestures people perform for their specific others.

It has been many years since I have had someone special to celebrate Valentine’s Day with, and the first V Day that I was alone, I was quite sad and fragile. Then, my dad got me a teddy bear and a sweet card, and I remembered that there is always someone who loves me even if I don’t have someone special to share the day with.

Last year, my sister surprised me with one of the best Valentine’s Day gifts I have ever received: tickets to a Chance the Rapper concert. The best gift a boyfriend has ever gotten me was a tub of nutella. Valentine’s Day. Boyfriends will come and go, but sisters are forever.

Sisters are great, and friends are wonderful. If you don’t have any siblings to get gifts for, you can celebrate V Day Galentine’s Day style, as the famous Leslie Knope from Parks & Recreation does. Get your best and favorite gals together and celebrate female friendship by taking them out for brunch and exchanging gifts.

There are people in your life even more important to celebrate than your friends: your family. Consider getting your mom or dad or stepdad or step-siblings a gift to let them know how much you love and appreciate them on this special day.

I love that there is a specific day to let the people in your life know that you love them. Sure, you should regularly tell them you love them, but sometimes life gets in the way, so there is no shame in having a specific day to get together and celebrate love.

Although it is easy to be jaded and cynical about being alone on Valentine’s Day, I like to take the opposite approach. I can celebrate other people’s love without being sad or depressed that I am not with anyone.