Valentine’s Day is my favorite holiday. There. I said it.
I love Valentine’s Day because I love love. I may be single, but I am far from sad, and that is why I am here to defend Valentine’s Day from all the haters.
Valentine’s Day is the perfect time of year to remind me how beautiful love can be. I follow wedding planners and romantic comedy book enthusiasts, so my Instagram feed and my TikTok for you page are always full of proposals and some of the most romantic lines in literature. However, I also get posts of friends going on adventures and babies making their parents smile. That’s love too.
This February holiday doesn’t have to be for hopeless romantics like me. Valentine’s Day should be a holiday to celebrate ALL kinds of love in your life!
Enjoy dinner with your roommates. Pass a note to the person that sits next to you in class or text your parents to tell them you appreciate them. Send a handmade card to your siblings or your nieces and nephews.
Maybe if you have a significant other, let them know you like them too. Perhaps with a cheesy Star Wars Valentine with a pun like “Yoda best!” or “you R2 fun!”
The only way to make Valentine’s Day a positive memory for years to come is to make it something you’ll enjoy. This year (and every year) grab the ones you love and don’t forget to K.I.S.S.
Keep It Simple, Stupid! The day doesn’t have to be about grand gestures or expensive chocolate and jewelry. Make it special, and that’s all that matters.
People complain Valentine’s Day is a commercial holiday, and those people are right! I am not capitalism’s biggest fan, but this article is about things I love, so I’m here to argue how to have a capitalism-free Valentine’s Day.
If you want to give gifts this V Day, you don’t have to break the bank. You can bake cookies, sketch a design or make paper flowers that someone can hold onto forever. I think I would melt if someone wrote me a personalized letter or a poem about everything I do that makes them laugh.
The gift doesn’t have to be an object either. Make it an experience! Learn something new together, find a new music venue in Des Moines, or head to a breakout room. If you can survive a breakout room and still like that person, that’s love.
Valentine’s Day can be a night downtown at an expensive restaurant. It can also be a chance to cook together and spread out on a blanket to enjoy a picnic and a movie!
My movie suggestions: “When Harry Met Sally,” “How to Lose A Guy In 10 Days” or “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before.” All three have solid romantic and friendship stories to love.
The most important part is that Valentine’s Day is genuine and specific to you in as many ways as possible. If you and the people you love are happy, then it’s a success, no matter how much money you spend or how many likes you get on your Instagram post.
Last but not least, don’t put so much pressure on Feb. 14. If you and your loved ones are busy on the day the calendar has designated, find a time that works for you. If it’s the weekend before, the weekend after, or sometime else, it still counts.
And if I still haven’t convinced you? Well, this article goes to print in the Feb. 15 issue, so put it down, go buy some half-price chocolate and try again next year. 🙂