Valentine’s Day is NOT Overrated
Many claim Valentine’s Day to be dumb, a waste of time, and cruel.
“It’s really single awareness day.” “You shouldn’t need a holiday to be nice to your significant other.” “It’s just a prelude to half-priced candy.”
I am going to tell you why this is crap.
First, you do not need to have a S.O. to enjoy Valentine’s Day. It’s about love, not romance. Every year, my parents would buy my sister and me fun gifts like candy and magazines and it was never a romantic gesture, but a loving one. Just because you don’t have a S.O. doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate the other people you love in your life like you parents or siblings or grandparents.
Valentine’s Day is also about friendship. In elementary school, we would decorate fun little mail boxes that our friends would place valentines and candies in. We were kids; there was no love or romance involved, just friendship and a sugar rush. Even in college, my friends and I exchange little Valentine’s Day gifts including puppy dog valentines, candies, chocolate covered pretzels, and the “Candy-grams” sweeping the residence halls. We did not do it because we were trying to be romantic. We did it because we’re best friends and we love and appreciate each other. That’s what Valentine’s Day is all about: showing the people you care about that you care.
No person should need a holiday to do something special or extra nice for their family, friends, or their S.O. The chances are that the people who suck at being a good friend or one half of a couple, aren’t doing anything nice for Valentine’s Day anyway, so it isn’t just the one day a year they’re a good person. Valentine’s Day is for individuals to remind the people they love that they mean a lot to them. Life gets busy. As college students, we have a hard time keeping track of assignments, quizzes, and tests while also trying to get enough sleep and eat. It’s easy to forget to show the people you care about how important they are to you and how happy you are to have them in your life. So, it is totally okay to celebrate a cheesy holiday and do something over-the-top and fun for your S.O. or buy your friends a bunch of candy, or send your parents a nice card. There is nothing wrong with dedicating a day to love, friendship, and appreciation. Actually, with how busy everyone is nowadays and how consumed we are by the bad in the world, a day of love is something we could all benefit from.
And it’s perfectly okay if the person you’re celebrating is you. Valentine’s Day could easily be a day to take some “me time” and indulge in some candy, a good movie, and a bath or a nice nap. You don’t have to pity yourself for not having a S.O. You can take the day to appreciate yourself and how great of a friend you are, a good child/sibling, etc. or a hard-working college student who deserves a treat.
Valentine’s Day is not overrated. It is given such a bad reputation for making single people everywhere aware that they’re single- but it shouldn’t be that way. Valentine’s Day is a day of love, friendship, and appreciation…and romance too. It’s okay to be extra cheesy with your S.O. and friends and to finally call home and tell your mom you miss her. Go out, celebrate the day with your best friends or S.O. Eat some ice cream, watch a rom-com, order yourself a pizza. And in a few days, buy all the half-priced candy imaginable.
