When people greet you on Feb. 14 with the phrase: “Happy Valentine’s Day!” The first thing that comes to mind is usually love. Love is a complex term, but generally, the initial thought that comes to mind is romantic relationships with significant others. Could the word we celebrate on Valentine’s Day, “love,” refer to other priorities?
How are you celebrating Valentine’s Day this year? When interviewing a group of students about their plans for this year, sophomore Hunter James explained that she was celebrating her friends rather than focusing on what Valentine’s Day is stereotypically associated with: romance. “This year, with my friends, we’re decorating cookies, taking pictures, watching a movie, and wearing cute clothes like pinks and reds,” she said. “We’re just enjoying the holiday by having a Galentine’s Day.”
Sophomore Annie Woods had plans too. “I like to bake stuff for Valentine’s Day,” she explained. Hunter also enjoyed sharing food with friends. “We have candy grams this year, so I bought some for my friends,” she said. From what I’ve observed in the media and from what I’ve picked up from others, there is more emphasis on spending time with friends or making time for self-love, rather than focusing too much on romance and stressing about it. So the question is: Is Valentine’s Day worth celebrating? Is it important?
Senior Sofia Atanasio-Villa had an opinion on the topic. “I feel like it depends on the situation you’re in at the moment,” she said. “If you have a boyfriend, maybe it’s romantic, but if you don’t, then what do you celebrate?” Annie agreed. “I think that Valentine’s Day is still so important even if you’re not dating anyone,” she said. “It’s a day where you can show people you really care about them.” If the one holiday that is supposed to be viewed solely on significant others, could there be more meaning to Valentine’s Day than what people see on the surface?
Celebrating Valentine’s Day looks different for everyone. It’s one of those holidays that depends on your age, like Christmas. On Christmas, during your younger years, you receive presents from Santa, but once you become a young adult, you only receive gifts from the people who truly care about you enough to devote their time and money to get you one. It’s the same concept for Valentine’s Day.
“I feel like right now we’re at this gap where you’re not in elementary school where you get to receive and give Valentine’s candies and cards to your entire class,” Hunter shared, “but you’re not married and have a husband to go on a date with. So right now, we’re just at this weird in-between spot. It’s not a bad feeling, but it makes it a little less enjoyable because in a way, it feels like we’re missing out.”
Sophomore Julia Atanasio-Villa agreed. “I feel like when you’re young, your friendships are more important,” she said. “When you’re young, it’s more about friendships. But as you get older, you embark on different romantic experiences, and then it’s more about love.” Just like we mature, I think our definition of love grows with us.
People may say that they dislike this holiday, but who could ever hate the heart-shaped chocolates, smiley teddy bears, red roses, and sweaters in pink shades? It’s not the idea that is resented, but rather the expectations that society has that result in negative feelings towards the holiday. “On Valentine’s Day, you get a lot of pressure from peers and social media to be in relationships and have a boyfriend, no matter the age,” Hunter said. “There’s a lot of pressure from society to go out with your boyfriend and go on a date. I feel like, if you’re single and you don’t have that, then it just makes you feel sad on a joyful holiday like Valentine’s Day.”
Sofia had a different perspective. “I think it’s a cute thing,” she said. “Even if you don’t have a boyfriend, or girlfriend, or significant other, it’s cute how people dress up in cute colors and have little get-togethers—like Galentine’s.” The negativity surrounding this holiday, like anything else, is based on perspective. I believe that if we change our mindsets and use Valentine’s Day as a holiday to appreciate what we already have and love, it could be more cheerful and live up to the reasons why Valentine’s Day is celebrated.
Valentine’s Day is a celebration of feelings, but many opinions on the holiday itself have been spiraling. The question is: Is Valentine’s Day overrated or underrated? “I think, honestly, it’s underrated,” Hunter said. “It could be so much more because it’s really just a day to show how much you care about the people you love. I like sending messages to my friends on Valentine’s Day, just to let them know that I love them.”
Annie didn’t feel the same way. “I feel like it’s overhyped,” she said, “and that just might be because I’m single, but in a way, I agree with Hunter. It’s nice to show others you love them. I honestly don’t think it is an important holiday.”
Julia stated her take. “Valentine’s Day is like another day,” she said. “It’s just like St. Patrick’s Day. You don’t really have to do anything. There’s no pressure. The only thing that could be, when you go on social media, you may see a girl post with her boyfriend and her friends. But I don’t think it’s a crucial holiday.”
The amount of marketing that leads up to just one day is what makes Valentine’s Day seem overhyped. It’s not like Christmas, where you feel love everywhere. There isn’t necessarily a target audience required to be able to commemorate the holiday.
Hunter explained how she might redesign the holiday. “I wish it was more directed towards relationships in general,” she said, “and not just revolving only around significant others, like, friendships. I feel like it’s kind of just centered on romance.” But that makes me wonder, isn’t the whole point of celebrating Valentine’s Day romance?
The word we celebrate on Valentine’s Day, “love,” refers to other priorities. If we change our perspectives and keep our minds more open regarding our definitions of “love,” Valentine’s Day could be a more enjoyable holiday.
