J’Mari Hughes – Copy Editor
Roses, chocolate, and teddy bears are just a few signs that say Valentine’s Day is upon us. Couples are making dinner reservations, classrooms are being decorated in red and pink hearts and the prices of rose bouquets are skyrocketing, all in the name of love.
Sure, you can show your significant other how much you love him or her any day of the year, and sure, the holiday may be looked at as a consumerism cash grab. Valentine’s Day gifts may be expensive or a waste of money, but you cannot put a price on love, so if a bouquet of flowers is what makes your significant other smile, the 60 dollars you spent on it certainly worth it.
With the happiness and love in the air, comes the bitter female population who are prepared to photograph their hands flipping off the Valentine’s Day aisle in Walmart and share with the world how disgusted they are with the happy couples posting selfies on Instagram and getting engaged. To me, Valentine’s Day is arguably one of the happiest days of the year. Whether you are getting a heart shaped box of chocolates or not, there is always a reason to celebrate love; you do not even need a boyfriend or girlfriend to appreciate it.
While having a significant other may make the day more enjoyable, a marathon of romance movies, a bag of candy and a couple of friends can make it just as good. You may not get the affection that comes with a boyfriend or girlfriend, but you can always celebrate with other loved ones without making it romantic. Plus, think of all the cheap candy you can get the day after.
For those who do make the day romantic, why not go out and celebrate love? If everyone else is doing it, there is no reason to not include yourself. Feb. 14 is the day to spoil your significant other and yourself, and who isn’t appreciative of gifts?
Jessica Guerrucci – Managing Editor
Flowers, chocolates, cards filled with declarations of love, all of these things sound wonderful. You know what else they are? Expensive. As much as we all love — well, love — Valentine’s Day does not have to make you broke.
We all relish in the spirit of commercialism on Feb. 14, while everyone acts like they have suddenly been shot with cupid’s arrow and they remember they are in love, when really you can celebrate your relationship any day of the year and it does not have to be with “things.”
According to the National Retail Federation, “those celebrating the holiday said they plan to spend an average $196.31, up 21 percent over last year’s previous record of $161.96. Spending is expected to total $27.4 billion, up 32 percent from last year’s record $20.7 billion.”
I mean, that is a little ridiculous, don’t you think?
Now, I do not despise Valentine’s Day, and like any other girl I want the chocolates, the flowers, all that nonsense I know I should not care for, but we are raised in a culture that causes us to have certain expectations for this day.
It makes us all want the grand gestures, the great love stories and the happy endings, but what makes these special is when they happen unexpectedly. I would rather get flowers on a random day of the year instead of on a day where it is “expected.”
However, my boyfriend and I have decided our “Valentine’s Day” will be postponed to Feb. 15 so we can spend our day shoving half-priced chocolate into our mouths, I mean, what’s more romantic than that?
In whatever way you choose to celebrate, or even if you do not celebrate at all, just remember there are plenty of ways to make your Valentine feel special without spending all of your money. There is still beauty in the simple things, and sometimes the small gestures are worth a lot more than anything with a price tag.
