I’ve always seen Valentine’s Day as any other day of the year. It is an irrelevant holiday during which people traditionally show affection to their romantic partner. When we were little kids, it was a fun day when we would pass out cards and candy to all of our classmates. However as we got older, it became the most pointless celebration, because Feb. 14 is just another ordinary day.

“[Valentine’s Day] is overrated at this age,” Jocelyn Liddell ‘21 said. “I feel like it’s a lot more special when you’re older because you can pay for more things and also have the ability to do more.”

Relationships are expensive due to the obligation to spend money on birthdays, anniversaries, and other celebrations. Couples now have to spend even more for this one day in February. There is also pressure on what to buy your significant other. Should the gift be small or extravagant? What is the price range? What flowers would they approve of? All these questions cause stress. Not to mention that if you don’t make reservations weeks in advance, all the restaurants are booked. Even more stress. Valentine’s Day puts too much weight on people’s shoulders because they are expected to do too much. Why should this day be the only day we show our affection for another?

“I do think certain aspects like all the candy and gift buying is overrated,” Sal Melilli ‘20, who has been in a relationship for about a year, said.

The harsh truth is the day sometimes brings more sadness than happiness. In 2010, there were 96 million people in the United States who have no spouse. That means 43 percent of all Americans over the age of 18 were single, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. People who are not in a relationship are always reminded that they are alone. They have to witness love in the air while they are refreshed of the idea of loneliness and isolation. The whole day is filled with sorrow because they are a walking reminder to others that they are an outcast to the whole love festival.

“I hate Valentine’s Day because all the cringey couples post about it all over social media,” Gabi Blauw ‘19 said. “They put it in your face that you are single and they are in love.”

When I was young, I used to love all the Valentine’s Day parties we had in elementary school. As I grew older, I realized that the day seems like any other day, and it has more negative aspects than positive ones.”