| Pros of Valentine’s DayBy: Bailey GannettI don’t understand why anyone could be against the holiday that celebrates love. What could be better than spreading the love around? Valentine’s Day is a time to express the love you feel for one another at a higher level than you do every other day. A holiday centered around good feelings and chocolate and roses should not have any haters.Now I’ll admit that you should express love for everyone every single day of the year, but I feel that Valentine’s Day is just there to emphasize that expression. No matter who you are, everyone appreciates their love being recognized even if it is just in the form of a card.I personally really like February 14, even if it’s not my favorite holiday. I think it’s sweet that there is a certain day people can pick to celebrate their love and their relationships. If you’re in a couple, the idea of tradition and romance makes Valentine’s Day all the more appealing. Even when I’ve been single on Valentine’s Day, I still enjoy it because I get to eat a bunch of chocolate!One idea beyond February 14 is that during the middle ages, people thought that February 14 was around the day that birds started to mate. Another popular myth was that Saint Valentine himself was the first to send a loving greeting card to his lover and it was signed, “From your Valentine.” Both of these were what made people start to associate the day with romance and love, and that has expanded to the idea today that Valentine’s Day is a celebration of all forms of love.
The cynical critics would say that Valentine’s Day is nothing more than over commercialized sap fest. While I can understand the need to bash on those in good relationships and hate the day that emphasizes your singleness. The right thing to do is just not celebrate the holiday if you don’t like it. Or even better, you can still celebrate it if you’re single! Valentine’s Day is about spreading the love around, and there are all forms of love. Go get some flowers or cards for your parents or friends; they’ll appreciate it just as much as a significant other would. I think the thing people often forget about Valentine’s Day is that it is not just a day to celebrate the love you have with a boyfriend or a girlfriend, but it’s supposed to be a day about celebrating love in general. Story continues below advertisement Instead of hating on a holiday about love, spread that love and realize that February 14 is what you make of it. If you treat it as a Single Awareness Day then you will not be getting any love out of it. But if you treat it as a day to be nice to everyone and hold the ones you love close, then you will find as much joy in Valentine’s Day as I do. |
Cons of Valentine’s DayBy: Katie
I am not completely against Valentine’s Day, but I think it has no point. I am in a relationship, but I don’t plan on celebrating. Why do we designate one day to tell people we love them? There are plenty of other days in a year to show and tell people that you love them. Valentine’s Day has become a commercial holiday. It’s all about who got who the best gift and how much money a boyfriend can spend on their girlfriend. The whole point of being with those you love and showing your affection through thoughtful little notes and sweet gifts has been lost. Nowadays girls expect to get a giant stuffed bear, expensive jewelry, and a card that is sweet and well thought out. What kind of a culture do we live in where there has to be a day set aside specifically to remind people that we love them? That seems wrong. Every day we should be showing people how much we care, not just on one holiday. When people send me Valentine’s Day wishes, I don’t believe that they are doing it because they care, but because as friends that is what they’re supposed to do. Tell people that are important to you that you love them everyday, not one day a year. It just doesn’t seem sincere. Instead of buying a card that is mass produced, make your friends, family or significant other each their own card. It means more, plus for those of us more cynical about Valentine’s Day we know and appreciate the effort you put into it. Don’t go and buy boring old chocolate in a cheesy heart-shaped box. Spend an extra half hour and make cookies. They’re yummier, and it shows that we mean more to you than store bought chocolate. I understand my criticism about a day of love is ironic, but even the hopeless romantics have to admit, the good intentions that Valentine’s Day started with have been lost. It stopped being a day to show others how much they mean to us and instead is just a day for bragging, spending and being overdone. I am not a cynical, love hater, I just dislike that people have turned it into an excuse to have over-the-top expectations for their significant other. Even those of us who strongly dislike Valentine’s Day want a little bit of love. We just don’t buy into the fact that there should be a specific day set aside primarily for that. |
