Around the world, Feb. 14 is a non-public holiday known as Saint Valentine’s Day. In my opinion, Valentine’s Day is the most unimportant, overrated holiday that is celebrated by many worldwide.
Many thoroughly enjoy this holiday because it is a time to show your appreciation and love for your partners, friends and family. I strongly believe that you should be showing your love and appreciation daily without using the holiday as an excuse. The best way to convey your love for your family, friends or partner is to do so unconditionally and not just because of a holiday.
Valentine’s Day adds unnecessary pressure to those who appreciate others and want to display that. People place expectations on their significant others to do something extravagant for them on the day of the holiday, when it is not always necessary.
Wouldn’t you feel more appreciated if your significant other brought you flowers on a random Friday “just because” rather than bringing you flowers on Valentine’s Day because it is expected?
When asked her opinion on the holiday, Paige Bergman (11) agrees: “I would rather get a gift from my boyfriend on a random day than on Valentine’s Day. I wouldn’t want him to stress about getting the perfect thing just because it is expected. Plus, I like surprises.”
It is unnecessary to add non-needed stress to peoples lives when we should be focusing on appreciating the presence of others and not worrying about what Valentine’s Day gift they will buy you.
Valentine’s Day is mainly a commercial holiday. Chocolate companies and fourlists jack up their prices the week leading up to Valentine’s Day in order to capitalize on the unnecessary holiday.
A great example of this would include the new Valentine’s Day Stanley Cup. The only difference between this specific cup and their other cups is the cup’s vibrant shade of pink and the little heart on the left side of the logo.
Originally, the cup was similar in price to their other cups, but now, retailers and sellers have tripled the price of the cup due to the high demand of the cup just because it is Valentine’s Day themed.
Making Valentine’s Day such a big deal has created many issues mentally and economically. This is incredibly unnecessary and it should have never happened in the first place.
Some will beg to differ. For example, Rose Tabatabaei (11) says, “I think Valentine’s Day is a necessary holiday because it is important to consciously celebrate affection. If we need a holiday for people to realize that, then I think it is fine.”
It is also important to celebrate affection daily and not just because of what day it is. The holiday gives people the excuse to be okay with not showing their appreciation for another year round, when that is more necessary than the holiday itself.
Appreciate the people you love in your life everyday, tell your significant other you love them everyday and express your gratitude to your friends, family and partners everyday. We do not need a holiday to demonstrate our love for people around the world. We should be doing that just because we love them.
