"Pal"entine's Day

Bex Rizo (She/Her)

Editorial Team Member

Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. Literally, you see it almost everywhere you go. In fact, some stores begin advertising as soon as late December. To some, this is great, because why wouldn’t you want an extra 1-2 months to prepare? After all, Valentine’s Day is a whole holiday devoted to showing how much you love someone.You do things like give cards or flowers to make sure that the person receiving these gestures knows you care. You see the emphasis of this day plastered all over the place: stores, the internet, and even friends discussing what their plans are. 

For many, there are typically one of two reactions; you either get very excited, or the thought of this special day can make you feel sad. One of the main reasons stems from the fact that if you are single, or your special someone can’t be there to celebrate, you are left alone, since this is generally a romantic holiday. When you’re younger, it always seems like more fun. You get to do projects in school like make Valentine’s cards for loved ones and give out treats. Once you get past a certain age, however, it feels like there's no way to recreate the magic you felt as a kid. It soon becomes more about the romantic theme, and it's easy to feel like you’re not allowed to participate if you don’t have a person to share it with. I’ve never been the romantic type, but I even found myself feeling sad that I didn’t have someone to spend it with in previous years. I remember making fun of couples and saying stuff like, “It's just a holiday made to sell cards.” Which is true, but realistically, that reality doesn’t make you feel any better. 

You might feel lonely on Valentine’s Day especially as you start to get older, but it doesn’t mean you need to feel totally left out. I have a somewhat new perspective on it now. Instead of feeling bad that you don’t have someone to get something for, try making it fun for yourself again. Create some Valentine’s cards for your friends and family just like you did in grade school. You can include yourself in that list, too. Don’t let the idea that it's just for couples stop you. Make some sappy heart cards, poems, or my personal favorite, very badly drawn stick figures (if you can’t draw like me.) I guarantee, it will make you feel better and brighten up your friends' day too. Just because it’s generally thought to be a romantic holiday, it does not mean you can’t celebrate if you want to, even if you don’t have a significant other.