With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, it seemed only right to talk about my feelings on the “most romantic day of the year.” Valentine's Day is supposed to be a day to show your love and care for that special someone in your life. While many love the idea of Valentine’s Day, stereotypically those with a special someone, there are those who detest it, stereotypically those without that special someone. However, even with my very own significant other, I still can’t bring myself to indulge in the idea of this holiday and its annual celebration.

For starters, this holiday is completely commercialized. Florists make a fortune on this day of the year. You can buy a bouquet, and deliver it to your loved one yourself, or if that’s not an option you can place an order either online or in person to have your flowers delivered right to their door. Chocolates are another staple product of Valentine’s Day, with all different brands and sizes to choose from. Some being as expensive as $120 per pound, and others that you can purchase at your local convenience store for about $5. Stuffed animals, balloons, jewelry and an abundance of other items given as tokens of affection to the one whom you love.

Regardless of the cost and commerciality that comes along every Valentine’s Day, I feel that the main point of this day has been overshadowed by all of these material items. Is all of this really necessary? As nice as it all may be, to both give and receive these things, I just feel they don’t truly show a person’s love and care for one another. The point of Valentine’s Day, if there even really is one, is to show your love and care for your special someone. Love and care goes beyond the fancy dates and the expensive gifts. There are many other ways to show your love and appreciation for one another, other than just taking your credit card out at the store and buying something generic, just because. Homemade gifts are practically nonexistent, and for those who just aren’t very crafty, what happened to love letters? Typed or handwritten--although I prefer handwritten because it just seems sweeter--it doesn’t matter. Taking the time out of your day to sit there and talk about just how much and why you love someone is an extremely effective way to get across your love and appreciation. You’re directly stating why you love and appreciate them in a nice little note that they can read and look at not only for that day, but any day they decide to pick it up again. Every time they look at it and read it, they’ll recall the moment you gave it to them, and be grateful for your time and effort spent put into writing it all down just for them. It doesn’t have to always be the generic presents, personalized and original gifts are some of the sweetest and most heartwarming to receive.

My biggest problem with this holiday, is the fact that it is widely viewed as a day for couples, about couples, completely and totally centered around the romance of two individuals. I get it, I really do, but this also bothers me. The stigma of the holiday being specifically made for couples, making those who aren’t involved in a relationship feel alone and sorry for that day, is horrible. It’s really silly to me. Even though I don’t take Valentine’s day very serious at all, and hardly consider it a holiday, I really do like the idea of showing someone you love, just how much you care for them. I word it this way specifically because it doesn’t have to be your boyfriend, girlfriend, spouse or soulmate. Aren’t there more people out there in your life that you love and care for? Why not take the time to show them how much you appreciate them on this day if you’re not in a romantic relationship? You absolutely can if you want to celebrate Valentine’s day but don’t meet the societal norms of being in a relationship! Buy your mom flowers, write your dad a note thanking him for all he’s done, make your grandparents a card, take your little siblings out to dinner, have a sleepover with your best friend and just enjoy each other’s company. You can do absolutely anything you want to and celebrate in any way with anyone you love. You don’t need a significant other to have a proper Valentine’s Day celebration, you just need a special someone, and anyone you love and care for can be that special someone.

Valentine’s Day is one day out of 365, and this brings me to my final issue with this holiday. One day out of the entire year, to show your love and care for someone. Why wait for one day to show someone just how much you love them, when you have a whole year? Every day you should try to show your love and appreciation for those around you who you’re thankful for. It doesn’t have to be one day, nor should it. There’s no need to wait for their birthday, Christmas or Valentine’s Day. Make every day your own little Valentine’s day.