Written by Charlotte Wall
It has become a common opinion that Valentine’s Day is a “Hallmark Holiday” that over-commercializes love. Many people spend Feb. 14 scrambling to find last-minute dinner reservations and trying not to expect flowers when a prospective lover has not quite made things official. To some, it is a celebration of loveless self-pity and an excuse for florists and gift shop owners to reap revenues that may finance their stores for an entire year. Whereas some, like myself, view Feb. 14 as a wonderful and sentimental day, others resent the holiday in its obligatory construction.
According to the results of a National Retail Federation survey of 6,400 people, only 54 percent celebrated Valentine’s Day in 2014. This number dropped six percent from the prior year where 60 percent celebrated the holiday. In another study conducted early this year by the National Research Center, researchers found that consumers spend an average of $116 per year on Valentine’s Day gifts such as chocolate, flowers, and stuffed animals. Are people actually “feeling the love” when they purchase these gifts, or is the Valentine’s Day spending simply a product of obligation?
Time Magazine reports that both men and women in relationships expect their lover to spend more money on them (approximately $240) than they themselves predict to spend on their significant other on Valentine’s Day (within range of $70-$80).
Furthermore, recent studies from the University of Texas at Austin have shown that there is substantial anti-consumerism for Valentine’s Day. Angeline Close Scheinbaum, an associate professor of marketing at UT Austin, claims that although $13 billion a year is being spent on the red, pink, and heart-shaped merchandise, consumers are doing so out of obligation rather than devotion. Scheinbaum presents in the Journal of Business Research that 63 percent of males and 32 percent of females feel a duty to buy Valentine’s Day gifts. Scheinbaum also brings up that although this is a common frustration, both men and women still feel duty-bound to spend. Moreover, she presses that people in new relationships feel more obligated to give gifts on Valentine’s Day than those in long-term, more established relationships. On the other side, single people feel overwhelmed on Feb. 14, still affected by the consumerist bombardment of Christmas. Generally, consumers believe they have free will in spending decisions. However, when companies like Hallmark advertise the certain ways people should feel on specific days, many feel like the freedom to spend is cut-off. Moreover, these people fear their significant other will be offended if a bouquet of flowers—or last-minute gift from CVS—doesn’t come his or her way.
Similarly, when I was a teenager, I felt pressure and the wrath of dangling hope. I have always been single and have never had my very own “valentine.” During the awkward years of middle school and high school, the holiday seemed like a day of exacerbated loneliness and disappointment. It was not until I realized that love entails actions and feelings for all different life entities on every day of the year that I realized the magnificence of Valentine’s Day.
Love is never simple or easy, although it is often portrayed that way—especially on Feb. 14. Many associate Valentine’s Day with love. However, love is not something that only occurs once in February every 365 days, nor is it a gesture involving a heart-shaped box filled with chocolate and a bouquet of flowers. Furthermore, love is not restricted to cliché romanticism. Instead, love comes in all shapes and sizes—between siblings, spouses, and friends. Moreover, each of these relationships is worth celebrating because love puts aside self-importance and lust to attend to others’ needs. Love sits with someone when one is sick. It stays up with someone when one can’t sleep. Love experiences pain with someone and offers empathetic solace. Love occurs every day—not only on Valentine’s Day.
Every year during the days leading up to February 14, I decorate my living spaces with tissue paper hearts and banners, make homemade fudge, and give my friends handmade cards and candy. This year, I even made pink-tinged heart-shaped pancakes for everyone in my neighborhood over block break. Every year I am single on Valentine’s Day, yet I am happy to indulge in pink and red novelties and remind those in my life how much I care about them because it is a reliable time for appreciating earnestness and sentimentality.
I celebrate Valentine’s Day because I want to take advantage of every chance given to express appreciation and care towards everyone who loves and supports me. Moreover, Valentine’s Day is my favorite holiday because love should be celebrated whenever possible—even on the days it seems to be hackneyed by cheap plastic novelties sold at the dollar store.