Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day is overly celebrated in the U.S. as a day to express your love to those around you, specifically a significant other. Shouldn't that love be expressed every day? I believe in acknowledging the small gestures that take place every day, from my friend picking up my medication for me to my boyfriend waking me up to the smell of cinnamon French toast. Valentine's day has come far from its original history. It's a holiday that is either loved or hated by people single or taken. It usually makes single people feel down in the dumps about their love-lives. In elementary school you are taught to give Valentine's cards to other classmates with candy. Some families even make heart shaped sandwiches to pack in their child's lunchbox with a heart drawn on a napkin while they serve heart shaped pancakes for breakfast. In high school you can buy all sorts of little gifts to give to your love interest. Some high schools have fundraisers where you can purchase a flower to be delivered to your classmate with your name attached. Also popular are Daddy-Daughter or Mommy-Son dances that communities host sometimes.

What is a single person to do? Their options are to ignore the holiday to the best of their ability or to celebrate it in any way possible. Someone can buy themselves some chocolates and flowers, or they can pamper themselves by splurging on something expensive. Singles also can also still go out on a date with family, friends, or find themselves a quick date.

If you are taken, how do you spend the holiday with your other half? Do you plan a date night, or just exchange a Valentine, flowers, or chocolate? Do you make your Valentine a special homemade meal? Maybe help your sweetheart with finding unique scholarships if they are in college. My friend's family always exchanges a list of reasons they love one another. Another friend's husband wrote her a love poem. There are so many ways to make this a special holiday, it just depends on how creative and romantic you choose to be.