Valentine’s Day is one of my favorite holidays. I feel like it gets a lot of unnecessary criticism from people because it has seemingly become so commercialized. Some say it is a day that was made up by candy and card companies to make money, but in today’s society, what holiday is not capitalized off of? Therefore, I do not think that should be a valid argument against Valentine’s Day.

I recently saw a TikTok of a guy who was upset he had to ask his girlfriend to be his valentine for the fifth year in a row so she does not break up with him, and that made me sad. If you do not like your girlfriend enough to buy her some flowers, then maybe you should re-evaluate your relationship. I get that maybe it is not everyone’s thing to go all out and make a big deal over the holiday, but it should not be something you dread. Personally, I love an opportunity to get my girlfriend a little gift so she knows I am thinking about her, and Valentine’s Day is the perfect time to do that.

Valentine’s Day is a whole day dedicated to love and celebrating any kind of love in your life, not just romantic love. When I was younger my parents used to get my siblings and I some candy and a little heart shaped balloon, it was so cute. My grandma also used to get each of my siblings a chocolate heart with our names on it, which is a nice memory I will always have to look back on. These are things I will never forget, and part of the reason I think Valentine’s Day is not just meant for couples.

I think the idea of giving someone a little card or some candy to show them that you appreciate them is really sweet. Even something small like a lollipop or a box of conversation hearts would make me feel so good. Giving valentines to friends has always been a fun thing for me. I am sure a lot of people have the shared experience of making and decorating ‘mailboxes’ for a Valentine’s Day party in elementary school and giving out cards to all of their friends in their class. I still think it is fun to buy a box of valentines from the store and give them out to my roommates, best friends, and friends from classes just because I hope it will brighten their day.

The other thing I love about Valentine’s Day is the aesthetic of it. Things like red velvet cake, arrow hearts, love letters, conversation hearts, roses and everything is pink and red for a day. That sounds pretty perfect to me, and pink is my favorite color, so naturally I would love the holiday. Although I am not a fan of the standard conversation hearts, I do love the SweeTARTS conversation hearts they have every year.I do not think Valentine’s Day deserves all the hate it gets from people. It is a time to celebrate and appreciate those you love and the people that love you, which, in my opinion, totally deserves a whole day dedicated to it!