I've never had anything against Valentine's Day-- I mean, it's not up there with Halloween or Christmas, but it's no Arbor Day either. At it's best, it's a day dedicated to celebrating love, which is pretty cool to me. At it's worst, it's an excuse to buy all the discounted candy you can eat on February 15th. I feel like that's not too bad as far as holidays go, and yet for some, it's one of the more dreaded days of the year. When people have negative opinions on Valentine's Day, it's typically because they're hung up on the romantic or commercialized parts of it. If you think it's a holiday all about celebrating romantic relationships by spending a lot of money on grand gestures you might've seen on TV (or in the hallway of your high school) there's definitely a chance of getting disappointed.

However, despite what the media portrays, nobody ever said this day was exclusively reserved for those who label themselves as apart of a Happy Couple. For me, Valentine's Day is an excuse to celebrate any and all of the different special relationships you have in your life because romantic love is by no means the only kind of love that deserves a holiday. Take your best friend out for that classic, candle-lit dinner. Get the lava cake with two spoons and laugh in a dining room full of quiet couples. Get your roommates out of their rooms, open some wine and binge watch The Bachelor... no, the Bachelorette. Pitch in ten bucks each and order the finest dining PostMates has to offer. Call your parents, or better yet, your grandparents. Send them a cheesy Hallmark card for a change, even throw in a $5 bill if you're feeling ironic. Remind them that on the one day a year love is at the forefront, you're still thinking about them too.

Get yourself the box of chocolates and the teddy bear. Take a glass of wine and a good book to the bath with you like you're an overworked mom who finally has the house to herself for the night. Spend the $2.99 and rent that movie on Amazon you've been eyeing. Let this day act as an opportunity to spoil yourself, because self-love is just as, if not more important than the love you share with everyone else in your life.

Regardless of whether or not you decide to celebrate the holiday, just try not to add to the negative energy that will always surround it. Sure, it might be a cheesy Hallmark holiday and it can get annoying, but at the end of the day, what's the point of complaining about something with such a positive message? If you're not going to dedicate February 14th to some kind of love in your life, at least treat it like any other day of the week.