Valentine’s Day gets a lot of flack for celebrating people in relationships and leaving single people to feel left out and a little bit lonely. It also gets criticized for being a holiday whose main purpose is to sell cards and candy. Be that as it may, if there’s gonna be a holiday that’s supposedly about love, then why not celebrate all kinds of love? You don’t need to be in a relationship to spread a little love this V Day–just take the time to show all of those close to you how special they are.
While there’s no catchy title like Friendsgiving for the friends’ version of V Day, you get the picture. Show your friends that they’re important to you and that you appreciate them. Buy them some chocolate, a cozy blanket, or a Starbucks giftcard–anything that will bring them a little joy (this will very much come in handy as we reach the second or third week of the semester and start to wish for summer). You could even do a kind of gift exchange Secret Santa style—no one likes getting left out on V Day, so make sure that everyone gets something. At the same time, just spending some quality time together might be even better than exchanging gifts, especially if you don’t see them often. Go on your own Valentine’s Day date with them–see a movie and go out to dinner, or stay in and have a movie night!
Don’t leave your family out, either. Even just sending a heartfelt card back home or taking the time to talk to your parents or your siblings that day is an easy way to spread a different kind of love this V Day. And there’s really just never a bad time to catch up with your family.
While it may sound cheesy, you can also just spread a little love to everyone. Give someone a compliment, say thank you more, or do someone a favor. If someone’s having a bad day, a gesture like that can turn it around for them.
No matter if you’re single or taken, use this Valentine’s Day as an excuse to give all of the people you love, and maybe even some strangers, some extra TLC.