Let’s be honest: nobody likes to be single on Valentine’s Day. If you’re in a relationship, it serves as an excuse for chocolate, flowers and constant adoration from your significant other.
But if you’re single, it’s quite the opposite. I can’t count the number of girls who have stated their hatred for Valentine’s Day this season. Most of them claim their plans are to try to forget the holiday and focus on homework.
For most, Valentine’s Day is a bitter reminder that we don’t have someone special to share it with. Therefore, we pass it off as a stupid holiday not worth our time. This mindset is completely ridiculous.
Now, I am not going to go on some feminist rant, claiming that women are better off without the men in our lives. Being in a relationship can be beautiful and exciting, and I’m more than happy for everyone who has that today.
However, I know that all of us single ladies can have just as much fun. Anyone who’s ever been single (which I believe makes all of us) knows the merits that come with it: more free time, more independence, more time for friends and sometimes even more fun.
Why should a holiday commercialized by chocolates and cards make us forget all of this? Why is it that on this one day our jealousy boils up for those who are in a relationship? It doesn’t make any sense. We should hold our heads high and be proud that our Facebook page lists us as single. Valentine’s Day is not a holiday reserved for those in a relationship.
This doesn’t mean that Valentine’s traditions are invalid – unless of course, you count sulking around feeling sorry for yourself as a tradition. Us single people are proud, remember? Seeing a happy couple shouldn’t make us depressed, but rather remind us of all of the things we have to be happy about. The core theme of Valentine’s Day is love. It’s not about chocolate, flowers, cards or sex. It’s about the love and appreciation we have for each other. Anyone can celebrate that. Love has so many different meanings and can certainly go far beyond romantic love.
Why not celebrate our love for friends and family? Valentine’s Day commercials and candy may focus on the romance, but that doesn’t mean that other kinds of love are not worthy of the holiday.
Remember Valentine’s Day parties in elementary school? Everyone would either buy the coolest cards or spend weeks making homemade valentines to distribute to the entire class come February 14. I remember it being a real celebration about the joys of chocolate hearts, glitter, funny valentines and friends to play with. And yet romantic relationships hardly existed in our minds. I see no reason why we can’t do the same today.
Yes, we have become a little bit more hormonal and a lot has changed since elementary school, but the basic principle remains the same: I can always appreciate my friends.
Like most girls around this time of year, I’ve had a guy on my mind recently, but do I need him to show up at my door with a bouquet of roses to have a good Valentine’s Day? Absolutely not.
My plans for tonight do not include an array of mind-boggling homework to distract myself. I’m staying in with a chick flick, Chinese food, hot chocolate and a bunch of friends. I’ll be celebrating Valentine’s Day full on – and everyone else, single or not, should do the same.
