As Valentine’s day draws nearer, and couples plan to swoop one another with flowers and endless chocolate, one has to question the hypocrisy in the day altogether. Valentine’s Day is a glorified day for big department stores to drive in more revenue, and couples are missing the key element that Valentine’s Day glorifies. If couples have to wait for one day out of the year to shower their significant others with gifts, what is the average day in their relationship really like? A relationship should feel like Valentine’s Day every day, not just once a year. It’s hypocritical for couples to go over and beyond for one day, while neglecting the other 364 days of the year. Valentine’s Day is about showing your love and affection for one other, but in hindsight, isn’t that what dating or loving someone is defined as?

This Valentine’s Day, don’t be upset if you’re alone, rather, treat yourself to whatever makes you happy because at the end of the day you must look out for yourself. Not to shed blackness on the idea of red hearts and pink chocolate, but to put it in perspective, look at the holiday Christmas. Christmas is a time to give rather than receive, and a time to be joyful or thankful for the family and loved ones around you. The world would be a better place if people would give more often, would be more loving and would be more gracious of the things they have in their lives that many do not. We fool ourselves to thinking that all these things go into one day, and then we can go back to our daily lives after that one day. If we showed our love and affection for our significant others in our lives on a daily basis, then Valentine’s Day would be less of a hypocrisy.

For all you couples that believe in that one day to shower your partner with endless gifts and love, all the more power to you. Maybe put into perspective the days that follow Valentine's Day, and continue to show your love and affection for one another. Don't forget this is reality, and not a movie that we live. We are humans, with a small wallet compared to those in Hollywood. If you show your significant other the love you have for one another every day, you won't need to empty your wallet for just one day.