Why I’m Over Valentine’s Day [UNPOPULAR OPINION]

Love is in the air, everywhere I look around
Love is in the air, every sight and every sound
And I don't know if I'm being foolish
Don't know if I'm being wise
But it's something that I must believe in
And it's there when I look in your eyes - George Young / Johannes Vandenberg, google

Ah, a love song. Is there anything better? Some people think not, but that's what makes the world go around: a difference of opinion. If everyone like the same things, life would be boring. So, why do some people love Valentine's Day, and why do some people hate Valentine's Day? Let's take a look at the holiday.

Valentine's Day is named after a saint who, according to folklore, became a martyr during the prosecution of Christians back in the year 270. Due to a lack of reliable information, the Roman Catholic Church removed St. Valentine from the calendar in 1969.

In the old days, it was part of a festival that celebrated the coming of spring, which included celebrating fertility. It was at this festival that young women were paired with men through a lottery system (also known as "forced marriage". That sounds lovely, doesn't it?).

Times changed, and forced marriage thing fell out of favor (as well it should have). The day, though, continued to be observed with people exchanging notes of love.

By the 1700s, commercially-printed notes of love were being produced.

The origins of Valentine's Day are sketchy at best, as folklore has a few different tales about the person named Valentine, so it's possible that we'll never know for which man named "Valentine" the day was named. Combine that with the Church removing the day from its calendar and no longer supporting St. Valentine's Day, how did the celebration continue?  Well, it's simple: money.

$19.6 billion dollars is the amount the National Retail Federation estimates this year's total haul for retailers to be on Valentine's Day. That comes out to around $150 per person. That's quite expensive for a free emotion.

Now, to the topic of this post: Why am I "over" Valentine's Day? For a few reasons.

1. The holiday was built off of hearsay. There's no proof that these events for which V-Day is celebrated even happened.
2. For those who have no one on Valentine's Day, I have empathy.
3. Because of the pressure the day (unfairly) puts on people to remember to buy something for their significant other or else be scorned in the eyes of society.
4. Because too much emphasis is put on showing your "love" on that particular day of the year. Ask any girl if she'd rather get chocolates and roses on one day, or feel loved and appreciated every day; I think that many would choose the latter.
5. I don't have $150's worth of expendable cash: that money all goes to airline tickets so that I can visit my Valentine more frequently.

Well, there you have it. Did I send my Sig-O a Valentine's surprise? Yes, I did. For two reasons: 1: Because I truly love her, and 2: Because I didn't want her to be "that" girl at work who didn't get something from her Sig-O (peer pressure. 100% peer pressure). I know that she enjoyed the flowers and the card and the Instant Pot cookbook and the sappy love novel, and it makes me happy to make her smile, but I hate that there's pressure to get it done.

Anyway, I hope you had a great Valentine's Day. Or, better yet, I hope you had a great day. Because it is just another day. Bah. Humbug.

(Google, Britannica, NRF)