Valentine's Day Isn't As Bad As You Say It Is

I, too, was once a cold-hearted Valentine's Day hater. "It's consumeristic," I thought. "Capitalism is destroying love," I said. "Our era is defined by meaningless plastic boxes filled with candy that will last two days being the ultimate symbol of affection!" I proclaimed.What I've since learned is that I was wrong. While Valentine's Day might have some ~problematic~ features like the weird candy box thing, there is a lot more to a holiday about love than just heart-shaped chocolates.  First things first, Valentine's Day was the absolute peak of February in elementary school. All you had to do was get your parents to buy some cute little candies for your classmates. Then, you could sit back and reap the rewards of having the other students give you the candy their parents bought! It was a glorious time of little to no effort for an insane reward.Of course, middle school and high school made it a bit harder to remember Valentine's Day earlier successes. Rejection became rampant and the stakes got higher. Suddenly, one lollipop wasn't enough any more; if you had a person to celebrate with,  they now wanted flowers, dinner, a thoughtful present, etc. If you messed this up, there was now a risk of Valentine's Day turning into February's greatest argument. Not even to mention if you didn't have a partner. Those nights became 'Galentine's' ('Palentine's'?) time if you were lucky, but just as often they become a big bowl of popcorn and a shitty rom-com that made you cry a bit more than you'd like to admit. Either way, things look pretty tense.However, I think we all forgot that a holiday about love doesn't necessarily have to be about romantic love nor does it have to center on grand displays of affection. In my own circumstances, I've felt just as happy on Valentine's day when on a date as when I'm celebrating the love I have with my friends and family. Personally, I like to write letters to the people i care about most on Valentine's day to curb ideas that money and romance are all that matter in love. Plus, witnessing the joy of telling someone unexpectedly that they are valued is simply not experienced enough!Whether or not you're single or taken or whatever else on Valentine's Day this Thursday, just know that love is out there in the normal places just as much as it's in the chocolate boxes. Take the day to remember that and appreciate your loved ones, of all sorts, a little bit more than the day before.