Valentine’s Day is an unquestionably polarizing holiday. While many people see the day as an excuse to treat themselves to chocolate or enjoy time with their partners, others see it as an attempt to commercialize love for the capitalist agenda, and view it as an affront to romance itself. There are endless reasons that are often given as justifications to dislike Valentine’s Day. While I don’t disagree with the validity of these points, I firmly believe that people should consider changing their views, and try to enjoy this day devoted to love.
One of the largest misconceptions surrounding Valentine’s Day is the belief that you have to be in a relationship to properly enjoy it. Valentine’s Day, in my opinion, isn’t simply about romantic love. It’s about showcasing love in all of it’s forms: self love, platonic love, and familial love alike. So whether your celebration of Valentine’s Day is texting your parents that you appreciate them, or doing something that makes you happy, it can’t hurt to attempt to find a way to enjoy taking part in celebrating Valentine’s. After all, being able to love is such an amazing and universal human experience. Valentine’s Day should be a joyfully unifying and inclusive day for all people, regardless of their relationship status.
For those of us in relationships, Valentine’s Day shouldn’t be simply about gifts or fancy dinners, it should be a day to take a moment to appreciate the person you are with. Many people in relationships waste their time stressing about expensive gifts and they never actually spend the holiday reflecting on their love for their partner. Although advertisements would state otherwise, there truly is no need to feed into the commercialism in order to enjoy and celebrate Valentine’s Day. That being said, there isn’t anything wrong about treating your partner to a nice dinner or buying them a gift either! The beauty of Valentine’s Day is that people can individually showcase their love in whatever way seems right for them.
Essentially, my point is that Valentine’s Day itself isn’t the problem, it’s the negativity that people needlessly attach to this holiday. I’m not asking people to ignore the flaws in society that are the cause of their general disdain for Valentine’s day; I’m asking them to change their outlooks. Instead of blaming Valentine’s Day for being the cause of your cynicism, look inward.