By Deborah Gardner
Imagine on Valentine’s Day walking around and seeing nothing different about any one’s mood and no gifts or PDA. That would be awkward and unexpected because Valentine’s Day is one of the only days that it would be expected to create happy feelings and moods.
Valentine’s Day usually stirs up feelings of love and romance but it also brings up questions of its importance. With commercials advertising Valentine’s Day, people begin to think Valentine’s Day is becoming too commercialized. But according to aboutflowers.com, flowers help to lower your stress when received. When people receive flowers on Valentine’s Day, what they do not realize is that they are immediately impacting their mood by increasing their happiness.
I believe Valentine’s Day is important because even if you have a significant other or not, there are other ways to spend Valentine’s Day, whether it is to go out shopping for the sales on candy, hanging out with friends or family, or even going out to dinner with someone.
Seventy-eight students responded to a survey about Valentine’s Day with 25 saying that they did not celebrate Valentine’s Day because they were single. Out of the 45 students who do, 38 of the students said they celebrated Valentine’s Day for the quality time while only 12 said they celebrated Valentine’s Day for the gifts.
Valentine’s Day is not only for students and young couples but also a day that long time relationships have to be able to spend time together. Some couples even chose Valentine’s Day as the day they believe to be most suitable for proposing or getting married. According to biblestudy.org, doves symbolize loyalty and love which is why it is common for doves to be released at weddings. Also, often when someone gives out flowers or any other type of gift, they are usually pink and red because red symbolizes strong feelings.
I enjoy spending time with my family on Valentine’s Day because of all of the food. I also love spending time with my friends on Valentine’s Day because no matter what your relationship status is, they always will be there for you and bring such a positive mood throughout the day. To me, being single on Valentine’s Day with your friends is like going to dances with your friends as dates because no matter what the situation, you know you will always have fun when you are around the people you love.
De'Alva Glaspie • May 26, 2012 at 11:00 am
Valentine’s Day is definitely of more importance than it seems. It may seem like its that one day where you show somebody love but in this world one day of complete love may break us or make us. Valentine’s Day is a day where all love comes together throughout all the problems people have in the other 364 days of the year. Now would we really want to cancel the day that relieves stress the most? I think not.
Joshua Kent • Mar 30, 2012 at 7:55 am
Valentine’s day should keep it’ current ” standing” not an officcia lgovernment holiday or anything facny, but should remain as it is. A day t oensure that you appreciate your significant other. i’ll be honest I’m not always grateful for the people in my life, and Valentine’s day makes helps put it all into perspective. I believe making it a holdiay would take away from the meaning, I’m pretty sure people would much rather have flowers or any sort of gift for that matter given to them at school or work instead of home just to make that day a little more interesting. I honestly feel like making it a holiday would be doing us all an injustice.
Tyler Thompson • Mar 30, 2012 at 6:00 am
I am sure that most people would not spit on a day off of school I know that I would not. There is a holiday to celebrate just about anything today. I think that there should be a day that is for couples even if single folk just get a day off at least it is a way to get out of the rhythms of everyday life which all people could use.
Kayla Bishop • Mar 30, 2012 at 3:53 am
I feel that Valentines Day has become commercial but i feel that there are plenty of ways to celebrate this holiday other than going out and buying gifts, although it is nice to recieve a gift on Valentines Day. I’ve been single and in a relationship before on this holiday and not matter what your status is the main thing to focus on is having fun and loving yourself. I feel that the article went a little bit off topic at the end.
Curtis Williams • Mar 30, 2012 at 3:39 am
I think Valentine’s Day has unintentionally lost its spark. People have the tendency to abnormally show a large amount of gratitude and love on this day when I think it should be every single day. However, I don’t think that it should not be a holiday because there are still people out there that actually take in Valentine’s Day for what it is: a day where you can show that loved one that you care, without overdoing it. You don’t need the flashy items if you have true love, but a diamond ring for the lady, or a brand new sports car for the gent is always nice right?
Faven Butler • Mar 30, 2012 at 2:20 am
I do not think Valentine’s Day would be the same if it was a day to just hang out with our friends. It has traditionally been a day where couples who truly care for a eachother recognize and appreciate eachother for who they are. The survey information was very helpful to see how other students feel about this holiday. It seems that it is kind of a trend for everybody to try and find a “Valentine” for this occasion.
John Shumar • Mar 29, 2012 at 8:00 pm
I like how this article mentions that Valentine’s Day could just be a good day to hang out with your friends. I know I get caught up in the mood of the day, but it does not have to be romantic if you are single. It could just be a day with an excuse to have fun. This article gives interesting details about what Valentine’s Day means to different people and I like how it used a survey.
Becca Soon • Mar 29, 2012 at 7:51 pm
I think Valentine’s Day really should be a holiday. In our society today…we need as much love as possible! I think it should be a holiday also because it’s a day of appreciating your loved ones; even if it’s just your mom or sister. This would be a day that everyone took off work just to spend a day with their loved one(s) and remind them how much they care and love them.
Chloe Alexander • Mar 29, 2012 at 6:54 pm
Unfortunately, I must admit that I am one of the people who get annoyed on Valentine’s Day if I am single. My reasoning behind this is that relationships should not have to have incentive in order to be celebrated. The spontaneity factor is lost on Valentine’s Day because it is expected, and if someone forgets, they best watch out. It is always nice to have someone show affection towards you; however, i feel that it sometimes becomes out of hand. It should be a holiday but it shouldn’t be the only time you express your feelings for someone.
Stephen Brockwell • Mar 29, 2012 at 2:22 pm
Valentine’s Day is a tradition that should not be forsaken simply because some people think it is unimportant. Those that may argue that the holiday has become nothing but a commercial opportunity should be aware that most companies focus sales and events for every holiday. Does that mean we should stop celebrating them as well? Valentine’s Day is a time for people to share their feelings and enjoy themselves, so why stop celebrating it?
Alexandra Crowder • Mar 27, 2012 at 10:23 am
I have never seen Valentine’s Day as anything but another day, so I would not find it odd if no one really cared about it. In fact, the world would probably be better without a billion pink and red balloons floating around or people making out in the corners like they’re doing something unique. While I can’t honestly say I hate the day without sounding like some bitter spoilsport, it’s just annoying and really a bit stressful. Why can’t couples just care for each other for the rest of the year instead of for one day only?
Megan Jonson • Mar 25, 2012 at 1:33 pm
I think that there are some people who go to the extreme on the side that Valentine’s Day is the best holiday ever and should be treated with that respect, and there is also some who think that Valentine’s Day is dumb and boycott it. Personally I think that Valentine’s Day can be celebrated for many different reasons not just love to a significant other because of different individuals’ age and relationship statuses. I don’t dislike Valentine’s Day but at the same time I am not obsessed with the holiday. I think that it is just a nice day to pause and realize who you really care about in your life and who you can really count on, but there is no need to go overboard.
Jordan Thompson • Mar 25, 2012 at 1:17 pm
Personally, I believe that Valentine’s Day is what they call a “Hallmark Holiday”. Although it is a day to share your love with someone or even just a friend or family member, it is becoming too overrated. Some teenagers take the holiday way too far and think that it is the only day they can express their love to their boyfriend or girlfriend and what they do not realize is that if they truly are a good significant other, then they express their love on a daily basis. I view Valentine’s Day as just another ordinary day, yet I am in a relationship. My boyfriend and I chose not to get each other anything for Valentine’s Day because just being together is what it’s all about and this is what I think the human race needs to consider instead of getting wrapped up with the teddy bears and chocolate.
Amaya Ray • Mar 23, 2012 at 7:53 am
I think Valentines day should continue to be celebrated as a holiday. Even though I believe love should be spread throughout the year, Valentine’s day just makes loving people extra special on that day. The sales on candy is also a plus!
Olubusola Olanrewaju • Mar 23, 2012 at 7:14 am
Personally I hate when people say comments like “valentine’s day is dumb, it just shows that you love someone one day out of the year”. This is not true at all. It is just the day to show extra compassion or thought towards your significant other or whoever is special in your life at that moment.