Once the New Year hits and you're half way through the month of January, you walk into stores and all you see is hearts, pinks, reds, chocolate out of the wazoo, and all those other sappy love things. You come to realize, it's Valentine's Day, a holiday you either hate or love.
What is Valentine's Day?
Valentine's Day is also know as Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine. It is a day everyone has used and continues to use to celebrate love. I'm sorry if I ruined your hope that maybe the history behind the holiday wasn't about love or celebrating some old legend about a baby cherub who shot an arrow.
I personally used to love Valentine's Day, even when I was single. Perks: you got free candy, sappy cards, stuffed animals, and that magical feeling of excitement for the love in the romance movies we've all seen. But now...I think it's a "happy 'unimaginative, consumerist-oriented, and manipulated representation of romance' day."
Why do I think Valentine's Day is flawed? Because if you love someone, you shouldn't just show them on just one day. You should celebrate your shared love every day.
Some think that you must have a date or a Valentine or some significant other or else you're "forever alone." Let me clear something up: you're not. You have your best friends, your siblings, your parents, and maybe even your dog or cat. Valentine's Day shouldn't be celebrated over the lovers in the world, it should be celebrated for love in general, and for the love that we have for everyone in our lives.
So this lovey holiday, if you don't have a significant other, who cares? Go buy a card or a cheesy stuffed animal or some chocolate and give it to your best friend, parents, or just spoil yourself. Show someone in your life you love them, but don't forget to do it more often than just that day. Don't forget to love yourself. We all need to know someone is there for us and loves us.
Happy Valentine's Day.
