In the world of cynical high school students discovering the realities of the capitalist system, Valentine’s Day often gets a bad rap. Criticism comes from people stating they dislike the day because it is simply a ploy from Hallmark-like companies to sell silly merchandise that people will only use one day out of the year. Additionally, they ask why we only celebrate our love for our family, friends, and significant others on a specific day – why do we not do that every day? With that argument, you could ask why we only celebrate our age on our birthdays instead of every week, or why we have specific days to celebrate our presidents or our parents. I say celebrate Valentine’s Day wholeheartedly, and embrace the cheesy capitalist basis of it (and better yet, the half-priced chocolate on February 15).

We often get so caught up in our own busy lives that we forget to show our friends and family that we care about them. Maybe we wash the dishes every other night for our parents, or help friends with homework. However, it is nice to find some bigger type of gesture every so often to really tell people how much we appreciate them – whether it is baking cookies for your friend when they are stressed, or taking your family or significant other out for dinner at their favorite expensive restaurant. Valentine’s Day allows us to take a break from school and stress to remember to reach out to our loved ones and spend time with them.

I love Valentine’s Day because of the happy feeling it gives me to see people surprising their friends with adorable handmade gifts and candy. I find holidays in general to be extra fun. Even if they are capitalist schemes to make more money, they give us an opportunity to throw parties, miss school, and eat good food. Honestly, I think the anti-Valentine’s Day tirade has grown old and tired. People who “protest” the day by throwing anti-love parties are still adhering to the overall point of it by joining together with their friends, and those that are bitter about their own broken relationships ruin the day for others with their negativity. I certainly understand why some people feel extra cynical on Valentine’s Day – when you feel as though your love life will never work out, or you have rude friends, but you can still cherish the small moments with your acquaintances and the mailman.

This Valentine’s Day, I am planning on baking cookies and writing notes to all my friends. In part this is an excuse for me to make chocolate cookies, but I also want to use it to properly show my friends how much I appreciate them. Your Valentine’s Day does not have to be all-stress and lots of money – you can cook dinner for your parents, bake your friends a cake, or just offer peers in the hallway a smile. For Valentine’s Day ideas, check out the Bored and Hungry column.