Ruby red roses, chocolate-covered strawberries and teddy bears holding a heart saying “I love you” don’t amount to the love one has for somebody. Valentine’s Day is a random holiday with no meaning that somebody chose to be celebrated on the Feb. 14. It’s a day where everyone collectively decides to be extra sweet and to have an excuse to get their loved ones flowers or chocolates. But why need a specific day for it? Why should the average person spend roughly $188 on Valentine’s Day items when it clearly isn’t a symbolic representation of how they feel about that person?
The point of Valentine’s Day is to send a message of love and affection to partners, family and friends. People all over the world celebrate this day, but its message has been lost because of the commercialization that is tied to it. There shouldn’t be a national holiday that people need in order to be able to get their partner their favorite chocolates. If somebody loves another person, there are different ways of showing it that don’t just have to be on one day.
Because so many people do special things on this day including marriage proposals, weekend getaways and fancy dinners, it makes the holiday tacky and not special. Getting proposed to on a day that about 8% of people also get proposed to just adds to the unoriginality of celebrating this holiday.
Valentine’s Day has turned into a cliche and has set expectations that are ultimately unoriginal. Studies show that men are more inclined to think Valentine’s Day is the most romantic day to propose than women—by roughly 20%. Getting the same gifts every single year takes the meaning away and limits creativity.
There’s no doubt that Valentine’s Day is still a sweet holiday to celebrate with friends and family. However, the media, as well as the people around us in our everyday lives, have an influence on what we do. The point of giving gifts is because something makes you think of that person, not because you have to or because it would make you look like a bad person if you didn’t get them a gift.
There would be more meaning to Valentine’s Day if it were arbitrary and not because everyone else does it. Doing something just because is more thoughtful. Celebrating your loved ones every day instead of just Valentine’s Day would be much more meaningful.
