Valentine’s Day is just around the corner! And you all know what that means: excessive celebratory relationship posts, cheesy Valentine cards up the wa-zoo, and binge-eating of chocolates and candy hearts . . . just in case you weren’t already aware of how single you are. And as if that isn’t enough, you’ve already made plans to shut down all smart devices so you don’t have to gag at each lovey-dovey couple post that will inevitably rear its ugly head in your news feed.
I’ve been in a relationship for over a year and a half now, and society dictates that I should be stoked to plan some romantic evening just the two of us, or plotting to rub my boyfriend in your single face. On the contrary, we have made the decision not to celebrate Cupid’s havoc at all. So for any others out there that might be questioning the unending stream of ooey-gooey Valentine’s Day articles and posts, here are 4 Reasons Why I’m Not Celebrating V-Day With My Significant Other.
1. Who wants to be that couple?
Too often, I have stood by as a couple, fresh as the driven snow, rubbed noses in the commons. First of all, PDA is gross. Couples that withstand the test of time know they have nothing to prove by making googly eyes at each other in public until the cows come home. Those sort of interactions are an intimate thing that is much better received in private. This is not to say that holding hands on the way to lunch is criminal, but your peers don’t need every detail of your relationship displayed before their eyes. It’s great to give your single friends a relationship to aspire to, but it’s difficult to ooh and aah when you’re blowing chunks.
2. Who needs an excuse?
If you truly believe in your relationship, you most likely don’t need a holiday to convince you to tell your significant other how much they mean to you. It’s a part of your every day interactions. I would prefer to use my Valentine’s Day to appreciate those that I don’t appreciate as often, like my parents and girlfriends.
3. It’s a cheesy Hallmark holiday.
The original birth of this event in history is lost on what Hallmark has done to capitalize on it. From the billions of stores that raise prices on chocolates and roses, to the unspoken message that I’m a bad girlfriend if I don’t buy this forty dollar box of Forrero-Rocher chocolates for my lover, this day is just an excuse for me to empty my already light pockets. I personally am more excited for the gigantic sale on candy that comes once Cupid goes home. Who is with me?
4. I don’t need to gloat.
Coming from the girl that was rejected time-and-again by Cupid’s mischeivous arrow, until she was determined to stop looking, I can say that it’s hard to be single on Valentine’s Day. There is so much pressure on people to be in relationships as it is, that we often rush through the best part of being single: embracing your independence. Rather than bragging about our happy relationships and forcing our single comrades to foolishly leap into bed with every seemingly-perfect guy, we should be encouraging them to embrace their freedom. I don’t mean to say that a relationship takes this away, but that it is near impossible to find a love that will last when you haven’t taken the time to find yourself.