Valentine’s day is almost here and people are anxious about what to get their partners or what they are getting you. Sadly Valentines Day has turned into a holiday about what you are getting instead of appreciating the person you love. People spend hundreds of dollars trying to get the perfect flowers, their partners wanted chocolates, and the fanciest dinner. And overall Valentine’s day is overrated and isn’t about love, and caring about the people in your life. It’s materialistic, you have high expectations to make the night perfect, encourages comparison, has a dark origin, and it overall leaves people out. Valentine’s day is about love, and expressing how you feel about people you love, which is what people should be doing every day anyway. 

To start, Valentine’s day is very materialistic. People are spending hundreds of dollars trying to make it the best night possible. You have many expectations to meet so your loved ones aren’t disappointed in you and what they planned for you. People are very selfish when it comes to the presents you give and get.  You have pressure to buy presents for parents, children, your partner, and friends. And people end up spending more than enough money when you can do something meaningful and even more memorable for less money. There is so much pressure when it comes to valentine’s day that it can actually harm your relationship, even leading to breakups. The high expectations often lead to disappointment, especially if those expectations are surrounded around just one day.

Secondly, it causes people to be left out and encourages comparison which is honestly not good for anyone. Valentine’s day is supposed to be about love within all relationships but in reality, it is really just about romantic relationships. Which leaves single people out, and there are a lot of single people. When it comes to comparing, it happens a lot during this time of year. You see couples on social media, at school, work, pretty much everywhere. And that will cause you to compare your relationships to others, and overthink them while comparing yourself to the picture-perfect relationships. Which are overall misleading. 

Another reason why valentine’s day is the worst holiday is because it has dark origins.  Apparently in mid-February when the roman fertility festival was going on, a man sacrificed a dog and goat and whipped women to help increase their fertility.  So originally the holiday wasn’t even about love, but over time the holiday evolved, just like everything else. 

Valentine’s day is simply a holiday for people that are in relationships, which is fine. But it is overall not an inclusive holiday and encourages comparison between relationships, and yourself. Valentine’s day is about love, and appreciating those that you love, but isn’t that what we should be doing everyday anyway? Valentine’s day isn’t a terrible holiday but it definitely is overrated. Hopefully, as years go on the holiday will become less materialistic, and despairing. And simply be about love and expressing how much you care for the people in your life. Remember to try and show your love with actions and words rather than through gifts and candy. Don’t compare yourself to the “Picture perfect” couples, because in reality, they are not perfect. And overall how your love to everyone, not just your significant others. Tell your parents, siblings, and friends how much you appreciate them too.