Me and Valentine’s Day? It’s complicated.
February 14, 2023
It’s a love-hate relationship with Valentine’s Day.
Throughout the years, the day for lovers has been widely disputed. Some are enthralled by the pink and red gifting traditions whereas for others, the day is filled with misery.
Love it
Lots of people shake their heads and laugh at the ‘cheesy-ness’ of the famous holiday surrounding love, but Valentine’s day is a fun holiday that gets a lot more bashing then it deserves.
Although it’s true that Valentine’s day can serve as a cringy reminder of relationships, there are ways to view the day as something other than a commercialized holiday. For starters, the bright colors and aesthetic of the holiday have a pretty ambiance of pink and red, flowers and hearts. What’s not to love?
If you are in a relationship, it’s such a fun day to celebrate with your partner. There are a variety of fun traditions such as going to dinner, giving gifts, and writing letters to show appreciation for your significant other. Gift giving is such a good way to show any of your loved ones how much you love them.
If you aren’t in a relationship, there are still ways to engage with the holiday so you don’t feel left out. Many people give gifts to their friends, or participate in ‘galantine’s day’ by celebrating with girls nights and fun.
Valentine’s day is also rightfully popularized because of the amazing candy that this holiday offers: specifically sweet tart hearts, which are perfect and delicious. While the true foundation of Valentine’s day doesn’t simply revolve around candy, treats are always a plus.
Valentine’s day is a day for love of all kinds. This holiday is about celebrating the people you love in your life, and shouldn’t be slandered as much as it is.
This is Senior Michaela Horan's second year on staff at the Lancer Spirit, and this year she is the position of copy chief. She's the author of the Rolling Hills series, the first of which was published in 2021. She enjoys writing music and doing theater and loves being on staff.
Hate it
For almost a thousand years, the month of February has been ambushed with fruit-filled chocolate candies, stuffed animals of puppies holding little hearts, and Chick-Fil-A’s 30-count nugget meal in a heart-shaped box.
Fake flowers are bought in dozens by those brave enough to confess their love to their crush during the most cliché time of year.
Cheesy romantic comedies take up all the air time on television channels while the flicks about independent singles get pushed to the side.
While couples of all ages walk hand-in-hand down streets filled with heart decorations in store windows, the single people walking behind them are looking at their watches, counting down the minutes until the decorations are packed in a box for next year.
Valentine’s day is the one day a year when people are encouraged to take a risk and confess their love to someone or remind the person they are currently with of how much they love them. While the meaning behind the day is cute and all, does there really need to be a designated day for that?
The key to a healthy relationship is reminding the person of how much you love them all the time, if not every day. Reminding the person you love of your affection for them shouldn’t need a specified day, it should be regularly said.
With the easy money-making scheme Valentine’s Day has become, people expect to be told that someone is in love with them on this day. Wouldn’t it be more of a special spontaneous occurrence if you confessed your love to someone when it’s unexpected?
Some may even be repulsed by the clique that is getting asked out or proposed to during the most expected time of year. They may just find out that their partner has no creativity or originality.
As smitten couples proudly show each other off during this day full of romance, singles stand idly by while getting reminded of not having someone to share the day with. Some people are fine with being single and living an independent lifestyle, and that’s totally fine. On the other hand, some people dread being alone and feel saddened during this time when they are constantly reminded of being alone. They could feel sad all the time because of this, so why have a day filled with reminders of their loneliness?
This day filled with gestures and love songs has been celebrated for hundreds of years, and some people like to take advantage of the romance in the air when this day comes around. It’s nice to have a designated day where you’re encouraged to tell your loved one what they mean to you, but that should be encouraged throughout the year.
There shouldn’t have to be a specialized holiday to remind you to make your partner feel loved. These reminders and encouragements, whether in the form of a box of chocolates or an overpriced pink teddy bear, shouldn’t also be bombarding those without a partner and reminding them of how they don’t have someone to share the day with.
This is Kelly's second year on the editorial board. As well as being Editor-in-Chief, she is heavily involved in the music department here at LHS. She is in the chamber choir and the drama club. She also does theatre year-round outside of school. She loves being on staff and has been writing since elementary school.