Throughout the year, one of the days I look forward to most is Valentine’s Day. Valentine’s Day is all about love. However, many people dislike this celebrated day and the constant presence of hearts and cupid. I believe that much of the disdain for the holiday comes from people who confuse the celebration of love with strictly the celebration of romantic relationships. In reality, you can celebrate Valentine’s Day with anyone, whether it’s your friends, family or even your pets. Rather than just highlighting a romantic partnership, you should spend the day acknowledging and expressing love in all areas of your life.
While I admit, it definitely is great to have a romantic partner to spend time with on the holiday, your valentine can be anybody. Personally, I spent Valentine’s Day with my friends. I also called my family to let them know I was thinking of them. My friends and family are the people that I love and cherish the most, so it’s nice to have a day that’s dedicated to that emotion.
Yet, I know many single people who don’t enjoy the holiday because they feel it’s catered only to people with romantic partners. However, despite all the talk about having a partner on Valentine’s Day, it’s important to highlight other forms of love as well.
A popular tradition that has seemed to have arisen in popularity in recent years is “Galentine’s Day.” A fun spin on the holiday, Galentine’s Day is dedicated to friends getting together and celebrating Valentine’s Day. I think it’s really sweet to see a group of friends get together to show their appreciation and love for each other. Despite the popular Galentine’s Day tradition, this is not just reserved for women. Anyone of any gender can participate in a Valentine-themed party to feel and spread their love.
Not only can you spend Valentine’s Day with others, but you can also use Valentine’s Day as a day for yourself. Many people generally miss out on a very special important kind of love: self-love. Self-love is what gives us the motivation and energy to pass love onto others. Using Valentine’s Day to catch up on self-care or reserving a dinner for one is not out of the ordinary and should be considered more often. Ultimately, you cannot love others if you don’t love yourself.
I also have fond memories of past Valentine’s Days. I look back fondly on making little bags in elementary school so that we could receive gifts from classmates. I was always so excited to see Fun Dip in my basket, and I even enjoyed the little conversation hearts. Taking a break from class to have parties and spend time with one another always made for a good time. It’s something I’ll never get to experience again, and will always see in a positive light.
From my observations through the years, Valentine’s Day is one of the few major holidays that gets hate. However, I think the day deserves a little more grace than given. Valentine’s Day should encourage the spreading of love to a variety of people. Most importantly, we should be showing ourselves some love as well. I believe that we reach our fullest potential when we love ourselves. Valentine’s Day shouldn’t be a day to stay in bed and be bitter– treat yourself and anybody you care about.
