Samantha Chaffin
Editor-in-Chief
I don’t know about the rest of you but my Facebook News Feed has already been flooded with anti-Valentine’s posts and angry, accusatory statements directed at the greeting card and candy companies.
Don’t get me wrong, I can absolutely sympathize with the loneliness and annoyance that can stem from Valentine’s Day as people watch their friends, families, coworkers, acquaintances or whatever the case may be fawn over their significant others, especially if you don’t have a significant other to share the day with.
Then again, even if you do have a significant other to share it with, sometimes it falls short of the exaggerated expectations often created by television, movies, store shelves and love stories published in your local newspaper.
My first boyfriend in high school grabbed me a package of pink and red Fun-Dip candy as a Valentine’s Day gift. Meanwhile our mutual friends went all out for their significant others with chocolates, cards, flowers, adorable stuffed teddy bears, balloons and the like.
Not to say that I didn’t thoroughly enjoy and appreciate my Fun-Dip but I definitely wouldn’t have minded a cute teddy bear or card, too, especially after Christmas Eve consisted of a dozen roses and a giant teddy bear that nearly matched me in size.
That being said, my first boyfriend didn’t neglect me in terms of cute and affectionate gifts. That giant teddy bear and roses on Christmas Eve was sweet! He just wasn’t into the whole Valentine’s gimmick.
Like so many people, he considered Valentine’s Day to be just another scam created by the greeting card and candy companies to make more money.
Most of us realize that a simple Google search on “the history of Valentine’s Day” will prove otherwise. Regardless, many people just aren’t interested.
The concept of Valentine’s Day began as a Christian tradition named after the early Christian saint, Valentinus (Latin for the more commonly referenced Saint Valentine). Over time, it evolved to be associated with romantic love and has since progressed into its current form.
I can’t argue against anyone who says it has become overly commercialized, as the candy and card companies have without a doubt capitalized on it, adding fuel to the fire for people like my first boyfriend.
I’ll be the first to admit that I think holidays in general are overly commercialized. Religious beliefs aside, holidays are a time to be spent with family and loved ones, but singling out Valentine’s Day as a marketing gimmick is extremely unfair.
Whether your stance against Valentine’s Day stems from religious beliefs, anti-commercialism beliefs or any other reasoning, make sure your significant other understands that it’s your aversion to the holiday, not to showing your affection for them, that prevents you from celebrating.
If you’re that person who has a giant Santa and reindeer on your roof before Thanksgiving dinner has ended, yet you refuse to give in to Valentine’s Day because of its commercialism, maybe reconsider your stance. I’m sure your significant other would appreciate the gesture, no matter how small.
