Valentine’s Day is celebrated across nations on Feb. 14. As soon as the winter holiday decorations come off the shelves, we begin to see chocolates, teddy bears and roses line up in every aisle. When the majority of people think of Valentine’s Day, they think of love and romance and showing their significant other how much they love and appreciate them. But we also have the other half of individuals who believe Valentine’s day is just another holiday for stores to make more money off of people.
Valentine’s day has definitely been one of the most controversial holidays celebrated in the U.S. because of the fact that if you are in a relationship, you should be showing your significant other how much you love and appreciate them no matter what time of the year it is. Why is it that one day out of the whole year was chosen to be the day where we surprise our significant others with chocolates, roses, teddy bears and materialistic items? While I believe Valentine’s Day is fun and can be celebrated with not only a boyfriend or girlfriend, but also with friends and family, there are many people who find it to be one big scam. According to the National Retail Federation , records show that U.S.citizens spend $20.7 billion combined during the Valentine’s Day season.
Now, there is no doubt about it that this holiday was created to get us to spend more money, but many people have already made it a tradition to celebrate it in their homes and it has become a special day for many. For example, many people get engaged on Valentine’s Day or even go on big trips to celebrate the relationship. There are many other ways to celebrate Valentine’s Day without having to be in a committed relationship. Friends and family could be given back to during this holiday and many people — believe it or not — have “Anti-Valentines Day” parties where all Valentine’s Day haters gather together and celebrate their hatred towards Valentine’s Day together.
Although many people see it as a holiday to hate, there is a lot of ways to make it fun and just deal with it since it will always be a thing. Valentine’s Day is not just hated by people who are single, there are people who are in relationships and see it to be ridiculous to show each other how much they love and appreciate each other just on this one day of the year. So if you hate Valentine’s Day, do not think you are alone because you are far from it. Gather with your friends and throw an “Anti-Valentine’s Day” party or celebrate “Galentine’s Day,” a day to give back to your friends and show them how much you love and appreciate them. And if you have reached the end of all this and still choose to not want to celebrate Valentine’s Day in some way, then know that Feb. 15 is discounted chocolate and candy day so go out there and buy yourself a treat for getting through the barren of Valentine’s Day.
Photo: J. Goll
