Occurring in the months of October-January are everyones’ favorite holidays. We rocked our sexy Halloween costumes in October, stuffed our faces in November, spent much-needed time with our families and friends in December, and got belligerently drunk on the first day of January. It was all fun and games, but Valentine’s Day seems to get less enthusiasm from people in general.
It’s understandable, and I get it. Valentine’s Day has long-been “that day” where couples and lovers lavish each other with gifts and affection. If you’re tired of seeing pictures of that life-sized teddy bear on Twitter and Instagram with the caption “GOALS” (with a heart-eye emoji included, obviously), you are not alone. It can be overwhelming to be constantly reminded of your singleness when it seems like literally every other person on the planet has found their soulmate.
However, it doesn’t have to all be bad. Think back to your childhood, to elementary school. Valentine’s Day was a day to look forward to. In our childlike innocence, we were so young that we didn’t grasp the concepts of love or relationships, nor did we even care to. In the days leading up to Valentine’s Day, we went to the store with our parents and picked out a box of character-themed Valentine’s cards that expressed our personality. The cool kids always gave out the expensive ones that had googly eyes or came with tattoos. The best part was that everybody got a Valentine and nobody was left out. When deciding to figure out which Valentines to give to whom, you may have picked out the card with the most risky, lovey-dovey caption to give to your crush, but that was the extent of it. You also got to eat a crap-ton of candy, chocolate, cookies, and cupcakes, which was amazing. In middle and high school, sending carnations to your friends was a huge trend. It didn’t even matter if you didn’t get anything from a girl or boy. It was nice to just feel that people cared about you, that people loved you.
The way I see it, Valentine’s Day is about love. There are infinite ways to love in this world, romantic love being only one of them. There’s love for family, love for friends, love for pets, love for ourselves, and even love for pizza. No girlfriend or boyfriend? No problem. Capitalize on some of these other forms of love this Valentine’s Day. You could embrace your crafty side and send out some cute homemade cards to your family to show them how much you appreciate having them in your life. You could go for a night of self-care and show some love to yourself by lighting candles, settling into a hot bath, and giving yourself a relaxing spa night. You could even plan a Galentine’s Day, so aptly named, by getting together with your best girlfriends and spend quality time together with some rom-coms and booze.
Your worth and your right to enjoy Valentine’s Day is not determined by whether or not you have a significant other. You have the choice to make V-day a good day or a bad day, so why make it a bad one? Just have fun with it. Be festive and obnoxious. Wear a red or pink outfit with heart-print ribbons in your hair. Give a stranger a compliment. Smile and say “Happy Valentine’s Day” to someone, even if it feels goofy. You may just make their day by spreading love and positivity which is what I believe is the purpose of Valentine’s Day. Take advantage of the benefits that come with Valentine’s day, including all that discount chocolate. As far as the happy couples go, try to be happy for them, even if they are over-the-top. Be glad that they found their love and happiness.