Now that Christmas and New Years have come and gone, those looking ahead in their calendars are met with the next major celebration of the year: Valentine’s Day. Unfortunately, for most Americans, the oncoming season of pink and red is by far the least exciting of the major holidays. Over half of Americans don’t even consider it a real cause for celebration, and it falls behind every other major holiday (even Labor Day!) in most opinion polls. When asking my peers about what they thought of Valentine’s before sitting down to write this article, I was met with near complete and immediate dismissal of the holiday entirely, with most people saying that it was frivolous, boring, or downright depressing. In fact, ever since we aged out of elementary school Valentine’s goodie bags, the prevailing opinion about the holiday among myself and my friends has been overwhelmingly sour. But is this Valentine’s hate warranted, or could we all benefit from looking at the holiday from a different point of view?

The easiest way to tell the time of year or the next major holiday is to walk into a grocery store and look at the specialty aisles, and Valentine’s is no different. Since the middle of January, the front of every store has been adorned with hearts and chocolate, all in bright pinks and reds. All of these easy-to-buy commodities make up one of the chief criticisms of the holiday among its more cynical detractors: it’s all just a big ploy by chocolate and flower companies to sell more products. It’s hard to argue with the commercial side of Valentine’s Day. In 2022, an estimated $24 billion was spent in the United States on flowers, chocolates, and novelty stuffed animals. Every Barnes and Noble holds nearly infinite varieties of cards, every florist is overflowing with bouquets of every color of rose, and it is impossible to buy groceries without seeing the elaborate chocolate arrangements available at every check out counter. With all the plastic and bright colors, it’s easy to assume that Valentine’s has only ever been about big companies making the most money possible off of gullible consumers, with all romance just being the excuse of the season, but this is not entirely true. Though the holiday was not initially celebrated with love in mind, the association has been around since at least the 1400s, when European couples and friends would send each other poems and notes, which later evolved into the commercially printed cards we know today. The sentiment of sending a card to someone you care about far predates the profits companies today make off of it. 

The second major problem people have with Valentine’s Day is its perceived focus exclusively on couples and romance. Many not in relationships can often feel excluded seeing the world around them suddenly become much more focused on the notion of romantic love. This can result in the holiday itself becoming a symbol of these feelings, leading to the hatred of it. On the other hand, those in relationships might experience heightened anxiety during the season, worrying whether or not they’re doing enough to make Valentine’s really “special” for their significant other. As a result, most everyone ends up dreading the holiday, though for varying reasons. The best way to counteract this dread and anxiety is to treat the celebration with a bit more levity. There aren’t any strict rules for Valentine’s Day, so don’t put too much pressure on it. Spend the day with friends, or on a date, or just watch your favorite romcom. As long as it’s enjoyable and meaningful to you, it’s a perfect way to celebrate.

The world today can be extraordinarily stressful to live in. Especially as high schoolers thinking about college and our future careers, it can be difficult to find time to relax and enjoy the present moment. Holidays offer a perfect opportunity to do just that. Even though there’s no day off from school for Valentine’s, just the fact that it’s marked on a calendar can be a reminder to take a breath and have some fun. Valentine’s Day is not my favorite holiday, and I suspect there’s very few people who would consider it theirs, but it is still a cause for celebration, and treating it as such can still make your day just that little bit brighter.