February 14th: Just Another Day

[Storyteller.]

February 14th: Just Another Day
By Cheyenne (Come As You Are)

Valentine’s Day is the bane of many a single person’s existence. The sudden influx of roses, chocolates and love songs is enough to do anyone’s head in. Many, myself included, argue that Valentine's Day isn’t even a real holiday. It’s an excuse for Hershey’s and Hallmark to charge unreasonable prices for their wares all in the name of romance.

As you can probably see, this isn’t an article about what to get your girlfriend for Valentine’s Day, nor is it a textbook-esque story about how Valentine’s Day came to be. This article is about those aspects not quite so "right" with Valentine’s Day.

First off, let’s discuss the sheer amount of money that goes into February 14th. You can make a case for Christmas, or even Halloween. The custom is to buy gifts for your loved ones. But with Valentine’s Day, people seem to go into excessive debt trying to find the perfect gift to express their love. Whether it be a set of lingerie that seems to be made of nothing but lace held together with scraps of ribbon, or a box of stupidly expensive chocolates. It’s insane. Not to mention all the worry and stress over what to buy in the first place. Who needs it?

And those are just some of the problems that people in a relationship face. Now let’s examine the plight of the single person. There’s one thing that everyone can agree on—being single on Valentine’s Day sucks. You have to look around and see the hearts and flowers, not to mention the aforementioned expensive gifts your taken friends are receiving. It’s like having a big party that everyone’s invited to, except for you. And even if that doesn’t bother you, the incessant flow of terrible romantic comedies on TV will. How many times can we see "Love Actually" before we want to throw our TV out the window?

Then there’s the people who aren’t single, but kind of still are. You know the type—“Well, we kinda have a thing going on, but I don’t really know where it’s going.” Any other time of the year, you guys can feel it out and decide where it’s going. But when Valentine’s Day comes around, it makes things instantly awkward. Are you supposed to buy them something? Act like they don’t exist? In a way, Valentine’s Day is like that uptight friend who walks in just as you’re making a somewhat inappropriate joke.

And above all else…no one likes conversation hearts. No one thinks they’re cute. And no one likes their chalk-like consistency. Conversation. Hearts. Are. Gross. End of story. With that, I leave you with why the general public despises Valentine’s Day, and what you should do instead. Why not give your partner a gift or compliment on another Monday, just because you're in a relationship? Why not take them out to dinner on a random day, just because you care about them? Why wait until you're pressured into it by society - and their - expectations? Go on, be spontaneous and make their non-Valentine's Day special.

[Bernadettey]

Thanks for the information!