Well folks, it’s that time of year again. It’s impossible to go about your day in February without being bombarded with images of hearts and cupids. I’m not a huge holiday person in general, but I find Valentine’s Day to be the worst of them. And yes, I know that at this point it’s probably more cliché to hate on Valentine’s Day than it is to actually celebrate it, but what can I say. The heart wants what the heart wants—or, in my case, doesn’t want. If you find yourself silently seething as February 14 approaches, you can join me in lamenting why Valentine’s Day sucks.
Confusing history
First of all, Valentine’s Day kind of makes no sense. Wikipedia tells me that the holiday was originally meant to honour the Christian Saint Valentine. Now what did this Valentine do to get such a lasting honour? He was apparently a priest in Rome who was imprisoned and executed for helping persecuted Christians. Sure, sounds romantic to me!
Lots of people have conflicted feelings about other holidays, but you can at least say that they fulfill their original purpose. Saint Patrick’s Day celebrates the patron saint of Ireland, Christmas celebrates the birth of Christ, and even Thanksgiving lays out that you’re supposed to be giving thanks. Frankly, I don’t see what this random saint has to do with spending way too much on a dinner date. Which brings me to my next point…
Too much money
Valentine’s Day is so. freakin’. expensive. Restaurants and stores jack up their prices because they think you’ll feel obligated to do something “special.” Worse, we go along with it, because they’re right. And if you want to go out for a nice meal, you better hope your partner has made reservations well in advance.
Personally, I would much rather get a heart-shaped box of chocolate on sale after Valentine’s Day. I think it just tastes so much sweeter when it doesn’t break the bank.
Weird timing
I hate that Valentine’s Day happens at such an odd time of year. I can appreciate that, theoretically, it’s nice to have a holiday to break up the dull monotony of winter. But seriously, who wants to get all dressed up and go out at night in February? For one, it’s freezing out so you have to find an outfit that’s both cute and contains multiple layers. If you’re lucky enough to be in Halifax, it will probably also be storming, so say goodbye to the lovely hair and makeup that you spent an hour on.
Maybe we can move Valentine’s Day to the summer? Just temporarily, while we wait for climate change to make it summer year-round.
Too much pressure
Honestly, the worst part about Valentine’s Day is all the expectations that surround it. If you’re single, you feel lonely. If you’re in a relationship, you feel compelled to do something romantic that lives up to the hype. And God forbid you find yourself in the early stages of seeing someone, when you still haven’t defined the relationship. Even if you decide to do nothing, you’re still making a choice in response to what you “should” be doing. There’s simply no way to exist independently from the holiday.
Releasing all that pent-up annoyance felt good, but truthfully, I think Valentine’s Day isn’t the worst thing in the world. The idea of taking time to celebrate your partner (or even yourself) is a nice one. I just wish that it wasn’t all wrapped up in capitalism and obligation. If you have your own views on Valentine’s Day, let me know in the comments!