Valentine’s Day certainly succeeds at placing a price on love. As flower prices continue to skyrocket and a plethora of stores are found decked out in pink, there is no question what time of year we are nearing.
Although widely celebrated across the globe, the origin of Valentine’s Day can best be traced back to Lupercalia, a Pagan holiday that was meant to bring about fertility, evidently not love. Another popular belief is that Valentine’s Day was simply created as a marketing scam.
Despite the detachment from its historical roots, the holiday continues to rack up revenue for companies, with 2020 being one of the most profitable years at the mark of $21.8 billion, according to Alliant Credit Union.
That considered, should people resist giving into the commercialized holiday, or is there a genuine quality to Valentine’s Day that should be appreciated?
“The past few years I have been celebrating Valentine’s Day with my boyfriend,” said Lana Kojoian, a student at UNLV. “Before my boyfriend though, my parents would always buy my brother and I little gifts. It’s their wedding anniversary, but they always ensure everyone else feels the love.”
Kojoian then explained that some of the ways she and her boyfriend have kept the costs down in previous years are to buy food from a fast food chain and bring it on a picnic at the park. In addition to buying inexpensive food, bringing a bag of frozen peas from a local Walmart to feed the ducks at the park added some extra fun.
“Of course, the holiday is worth celebrating!” Kojoian claimed, even when considering the commercialization of the holiday. “Having a partner or not, Valentine’s Day is a day of showing others how much you love them, and this can be friends or family too.”
As Kojoian mentioned, one additional perspective to consider is that Valentine’s day does not need to celebrate romantic relationships. If the holiday is meant to express the feeling of love, many people, single or not, may find it more meaningful to celebrate a family member on Valentine’s day.
Despite the heavy marketing for Valentine’s Day-related experiences and merchandise, the holiday can be celebrated with just as much substance with anything from handwritten letters to cooking a meal at home.
Even those who don’t find the holiday to be particularly worth celebrating, still have the opportunity to benefit from it.
Chocolate fanatics should have learned by now that the week after Valentine’s day is the best time to take a trip to CVS, and the same goes for lovers of lingerie at Victoria’s Secret. Valentine’s Day sales can be found at a multitude of big-brand names anywhere from Target to Amazon to Nordstrom.
What goes up must come down, which means big-ticket Valentine’s day purchases like steak and seafood are also known to drop in price after the Valentine’s Day rush.
Ultimately, there is no major reason to dread Valentine’s Day, regardless of one’s relationship status. In fact, being single provides more opportunities to purchase these self-treats at a more reasonable price by waiting a day or two after Feb. 14.
Valentine’s Day should be viewed as a holiday to cherish the love one does have, whether that be the love of a significant other, family member’s or self-love.
