Love is in the air as students prepare for their Valentine’s, or “Galentine’s,” day plans or lack thereof. Valentine’s day, or the feast day of Saint Valentine, celebrates love and affection. Often times, it is associated with romance and expensive dates, though there are many ways to celebrate. Junior Jean Chevalier celebrates Valentine’s Day regardless of her personal relationship status. “I think it’s a day for love,” Chevalier said. “There are a lot of different kinds of love: family love, friendship, even self-love. It can be for any kind of love you want it to be for.”
The holiday is often seen as cliché and maybe even a little silly. However, many students said that they enjoy the holiday.
The holiday, while often seen as romance-based, is celebrated among friends and family as well as between significant others. Freshman Salem Kessler said the holiday can be about more than romance. “Though I know most people only think about love in a romantic way, there are tons of different ways you can love someone,” Kessler said. “I think that expressing your love in a thoughtful way should be an all year long thing, but you could say the same about giving presents during Christmas time. I think it’s just a fun little holiday to remind yourself to get something nice for those in your life who you care about a lot.”
Kessler said their family sometimes celebrates by getting each other cards. Kessler said their favorite part of the holiday is the decorations and the aesthetic. They said their least favorite part is “the cynical way people tend to look at it [Valentine’s Day], and how mean people can be about other people enjoying it.”
Of course, we all have that friend that hates the holiday or finds it embarrassing. Whether they are in a relationship or single, they seem to hate the entirety of the holiday either way. Almost 28 percent of students that answered a survey on the topic of Valentine’s Day said they did not enjoy the holiday. Freshman Abrianna Miller, for example, is less in love with the holiday. “I think it’s just a pointless holiday created for capital gain, but it’s also nice to be reminded to show people you love them,” Miller said.
Some students said the holiday is pointless if you are not in a serious relationship, while others said they enjoy the holiday no matter their relationship status. “My least favorite part of Valentine’s day is all of the people who are spiteful towards it just because they aren’t in a relationship at the time. You don’t have to be in a relationship to enjoy the holiday,” Chevalier said. “People should let others enjoy themselves, it won’t kill them.”
Junior Breanna Patterson said she does not have any strong feelings about Valentine’s Day.
“It feels a bit like a shallow pointless holiday as it has grown to be more about how many things you buy rather than spending time with the people you love,” Patterson said. Patterson said “If Valentine’s Day is truly supposed to be about love, then I think it ought to focus on loving other people, not money.”
