This Sunday might possibly be the most dreaded day for men and singles alike. That's right; Valentine's Day is this weekend. Men scramble to find a way to show their significant others their love, and singles take the day to reflect on the fact that they are alone.The day is meant to demonstrate your love. Go into any greeting card store, party store, Wal-Mart, Target, even the seasonal aisle in your grocery store and you will see a huge variety in the merchandise you can (and should, according to retailers) buy for the holiday. The question is, is it actually a holiday?
It has been a long standing argument as to whether or not Valentine's Day is a real holiday or a creation by Hallmark. According to Wikipedia, Valentine's Day is named after several Christian martyrs named Valentine. The two who the day specifically honors is Valentine of Rome and Valentine of Terri. The article goes in depth, explaining the history and tradition of the holiday.
It dates way back, and could potentially deliver a persuasive argument. I say potentially because I reckon each reader would interpret the article differently. It does talk about the creation of handmade valentines, which is said to have originated long after the day was created.
Another article on Wikipedia talks about Hallmark holidays and cites Valentine's Day as one of them.
A Hallmark holiday is a holiday created for commercial purposes. The Wikipedia article explains that the holidays are created to pressure society into giving gifts. Men in particular are bombarded with ads for jewelry, chocolates, and flowers and all the other ways they are expected to show the woman they love that she is important.
There has been a movement that has been gaining popularity in recent years. It's called an anti-Valentine's day, and the whole point of the day is to boycott the lovely-dovey holiday. That leaves you with three basic options for how you want to spend the day. You can spend it in happy bliss with your significant other, you can spend the day enjoy the glory of being single and having the ability to do anything, or you can hate on the day.
Generally I find that girls have a much stronger opinion on the subject then guys do. Guys in a relationship seem to follow what their girlfriends say and guys who are single seem to be relieved that they don't have to deal with it. Girls are typically a bit more hard-core. A lot of girls who are single take the day to wallow in their state if singleness and those who are in a relationship can sometimes get a little demanding.
I have always managed to be single on Valentine's Day, but I never felt like it placed a huge arrow over my head. Although I completely understand those who feel like the only thing February 14th represent its singles awareness day, that's not a feeling I have experienced myself. This year, I find myself on the other side of the table. I get to experience Valentine's Day in a relationship. Exciting, I know. It will be nice to spend the day in the company of someone who truly cares about me, but I'm not expecting my boyfriend to empty his wallet to shower me with lavish gifts and profess his love on Brock Commons.
I don't need all of that to know how he feels. Maybe that's just me.
So which is it? Legitimate holiday or a way for a company to make money? I am going to let you make the call. You each have your own unique situations that would generate an opinion on the matter.
There is no rule saying you have to celebrate it a certain way, so the ball is in your court.
I don't think it is a big deal to be single on Valentine's Day. As I said before, I have done it many a times and I turned out just fine. I also do not find Valentine's Day to be a defining day in my relationship, and my boyfriend does not have a standard that he needs to rise to for the occasion. I am very excited to spend Valentine's Day with him but I reckon we will treat it like any other Sunday. That's just my opinion, and you all should do whatever you want, not what society says to do.
For those of you who are single, absolutely consider it a Hallmark Holiday. I mean, does it really matter? Celebrate it anyways. As far as I see it, Valentine's Day is a day for love. Even if you are not in a relationship, surely there is someone who you love and you can use the day to demonstrate that.
Or boycott the whole day! Just don't sit around in wallow over the fact that you are single and free to do whatever you want.
A word of advice for guys who do have a girlfriend: Unless your girl has specifically expressed that she does not want to celebrate Valentine's Day, a little bit of chocolate and some flowers might be a good idea. Oh, and if she is a hard-core Valentine's Day lover, a piece of jewelry wouldn't hurt either.
