Valentine’s Day: Balancing Costs and Chocolates
By Malia Hickman
Valentine’s Day is around the corner. A day to celebrate romantic relationships and friendships, and maybe discover a secret admirer. Often, flowers, chocolates, hugs, and kisses are given. However, despite these positive aspects, Valentine’s Day is one of the more controversial holidays celebrated. Individuals dislike Valentine’s Day for numerous reasons: consumerism, social pressures to participate, the heartache of not being in a relationship — the list goes on. These cause low Valentine’s Day participation. Valentine’s Day can be the reason for both love and animosity in the air. However you may feel about Valentine’s Day, there is a middle ground.
Valentine’s Day ranks behind every major holiday. Only 30% of Americans believe Valentine’s Day is a special occasion (YouGov US). The majority of Americans like to celebrate other holidays over Valentine’s Day. Participating becomes difficult when only ⅓ of Americans participate and care for the holiday. A major reason behind skipping Valentine’s Day is that most Americans would rather save money than participate.
There are real positives to celebrating Valentine’s Day. The holiday was created to celebrate and spend time with the people you love in your life — it doesn’t have to be about a significant other. While I do admit Valentine’s Day is a materialistic holiday, the gifts given do not have to be expensive or top-of-the-line. Simple gifts can be sentimental and can still mean as much as (if not more than) an expensive gift. There are other ways to show your love and appreciation to individuals that mean the most to you. Knowing your partner or friends’ love language can help in making a simple gift. These love languages include acts of service, quality time, words of affirmation, physical touch, and receiving gifts (Alliant). Despite the holiday’s controversial nature, we can still find beauty by finding another reason to make someone’s day.
The ultimate goal of Valentine’s Day is to be treated special and to remind others that you care for them. To show your loved ones they are special to you. It has been blown out of proportion on how simple the holiday is. A simple card and flowers can do the trick in making someone happy. Or spending time with others — it’s nice to get away and enjoy the presence of others without having to dress up and go to a fancy restaurant. There are numerous ways to make someone feel special that don’t rely on money. The greater good of doing things for others can balance the consumerism holiday we call Valentine’s Day.
