Hot take: heart-shaped foods aren’t just for Valentine’s Day.
Valentine’s Day has always been my favorite holiday. Everyone has strong opinions about this because I never had an official “valentine” until this year, but it’s always been my favorite. I love the fact that everything’s pink and red, plus there’s an excuse to eat chocolate all day long – you basically have to since it’s a holiday. And at this point, we’ve heard the same rationale over and over again from Valentine’s Day enthusiasts about how Valentine’s Day isn’t just for people in relationships, it’s for people with anyone to love. So Valentine’s Day is amazing, but the real question is this: why am I writing a Valentine’s Day-themed article at the end of February instead of the beginning?
Because Valentine’s Day should be all the time! More specifically, there’s no reason to stop celebrating it. The main reason people think it’s strange that I love the holiday so much is because it’s not a “real” holiday. Days like Christmas, Halloween, and Thanksgiving have always been seen as “real holidays,” when the entire day or even month is basically a themed production leading up to the day itself. There’s nothing wrong with that, in fact, my second favorite holiday is Christmas! But sometimes the intensity of Christmas and Halloween celebrations can lead to holiday burnout.
I feel like one of those people who complain about playing Christmas songs on the radio at the beginning of November, but I personally get extremely overwhelmed with the prep that goes on before these holidays. I know so many people who feel like their celebrations for these holidays are never big enough, but I’ve never known anyone who says that about Valentine’s Day. That’s because celebrating it seems to be an optional thing, so it’s more of a choice. With such a “mundane” holiday, there’s less pressure.
The thing about holidays is that they always seem to celebrate some super-specific event or special occasion. Whether it’s a religious holiday like Christmas or a holiday with huge social or cultural implications, like New Year’s Eve, holidays always seem like they start with a capital “H.” The days and messages they celebrate are such specific, singular events – even St. Patrick’s Day is either about getting the snakes out of Ireland or wearing green and going to parties, which, either way, is definitely a confusing and extremely specific tradition if we ever look closely at it. But Valentine’s Day is about everyday life and showing the people in your life that you care about them. It’s about doing something good for the people that you care about and remind them, and yourself, that there’s something special about the times when there’s nothing special going on.
Basically, we need more Valentine’s Day every day. You know how people say that they wish it were Christmas year-round? That’s how I feel about Valentine’s Day. More specifically, I wish people would realize that Valentine’s Day is year-round. If you’re ever going out of your way to remind someone in your life how much you care about them, then surprise! You’re celebrating Valentine’s Day.
Am I writing this article just to encourage more people to like my favorite holiday, or am I just not willing to let it go after two weeks? Maybe. But more than anything, I hope the one takeaway you get from this article is that it’s okay to keep your pink and red decorations up year-round (like I do) and make those heart-shaped cookies because if there’s one holiday that deserves to be celebrated year-round, it’s Valentine’s Day.
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