When most people think of Valentine’s Day, they imagine one of three kinds of people: a doe-eyed, heart-sharing half of a relationship; a sad, usually female, single person; or the anti-Valentine’s Day propagandist who likely finds no higher joy in life than earning another follower on their Tumblr blog.
However, many neither giggle nor cry when Feb. 14 roles around. Instead, many of us young singles ignore the annual pity party and appreciate the holiday for the blatant cheesiness that all ages are meant to enjoy.
Named after the saint whose life was taken in revolt of a marriage ban, the very old and technically religious holiday has since developed into what many consider a corporate-initiated candy and cry-fest.
Come Valentine’s Day, some women put on a red dress, catch a taxi to a crowded restaurant/bar and proceed to drink one too many sangrias, which eventually lead to a failed attempt at public swing dancing. Some friends stay in to celebrate and drown themselves in red wine and video games. Others cuddle up in bed for the evening to watch “A Walk to Remember” and fall asleep early in preparation for work the next day.
Not all single women treat being single on Valentine’s Day as a curse. Logic-based reasoning is not thrown out the window and replaced with the fear that you are forever alone. The holiday has continued year after year because of its ability to make people feel like teenagers in love again and participate in fun, sugarcoated events.
However, what really grinds my gears is the fact that people can get upset because of the holiday. This isn’t Christmas, people. There isn’t a full turkey feast expected to feed two booze and opinion-filled families. You don’t have to spend $80 to secure a table at a local bar and count down until midnight in a scratchy, sequin dress.
Often, couples will get in fights about unfulfilled expectations of Valentine’s Day. Tim Smith from Yahoo Shine advises his readers with multiple tips on how to avoid getting into a fight with a significant other on Valentine’s Day. From buying flowers, cards and candy to embracing the fact that “she has expectations,” Smith and many others attack the negative side of the holiday from all the wrong angles.
Who cares if your significant other didn’t drop $120 on a cliché, heart-shaped fake diamond necklace from Target? Cities like San Francisco offer free and fun alternatives to standard, expensive dinners, such as the annual Valentine’s Day Pillow Fight that draws an average 1,000 attendees who “lovingly beat the crap out of each other,” according to FunCheapSF.
This year, Harwinton Consolidated School in Connecticut has placed a candy ban on the Valentine’s Day card exchange. How dare they! Principal Megan Mazzei said that the school is “working to encourage healthy practices, as well as manage food choices in classrooms where food allergies are present in order to maintain a safe environment.”
If kids can’t expect to be on an all-day sugar high come Feb. 14, why bother getting out of bed? Bans such as this are another reason this country is slowly, yet surely, ripping the joy out of Valentine’s Day.
America, don’t get frustrated by Valentine’s Day. Don’t be dramatic. Don’t go to bed angry because your significant other didn’t give you the perfect evening or because you don’t have a significant other. Enjoy the pink, the red, the candy (unless you attend Harwinton) and the inescapable cheesiness of Feb. 14 this year, because it’s fun!
