Valentine’s Day. A day of love and sometimes . . . controversy? Not everyone seems to enjoy the love-sick holiday. To some, it may seem like a day filled with shallow expressions of commitment, but to me, it means so much more. Today, I’m going to share why I think it should be celebrated.
Like many others, I grew up loving Valentine’s Day! It was so much fun in elementary school. I enjoyed wearing my two favorite colors (red and pink are neutrals and I stand by that!), and I enjoyed passing out little valentines to everyone. My parents would also get us a small valentine. To me, it was a day full of love and friendship!
But then, middle school reared its ugly head. And then high school. Valentine’s Day seemed to be a reminder that I didn’t have a “special someone.” I think that a lot of us referred to it as “Single Awareness Day.” This attitude continued into college for me. I vividly remember sharing a meme on social media with a picture of Kanye West with the caption “I hope that, someday, someone loves me as much as Kanye loves Kanye.”
My “ba humbug” attitude towards Valentine’s Day continued into college. That is until I met my husband!
By the time Valentine’s Day had rolled around, we had been dating for six months and we were dating long distance. He drove three hours and brought me my first-ever romantic Valentine’s gifts. That’s right, I said GIFTS. Plural. He brought me one of everything! A balloon, a box of chocolates, flowers, socks, and a love note. I was in awe. No one had EVER done that for me before. He reminded me that I was someone special.
That fateful Valentine’s Day rekindled my love for the holiday.
Since then, I’ve gone out of my way to celebrate with my spouse, my children, parents, siblings, extended family, friends, and even coworkers! I even have a Valentine’s tree. I have decided to embrace the sappy nature of this holiday and openly express my love to others . . . and I think you should, too.
Now before you go all grinchy on me, hear me out. Life is hard. The news cycle is crazy. Hate is everywhere. We. Need. More. Love! We need to take any chance at sharing love and envelop ourselves in it. Celebrate however you want, but remember to love on this day. (And remember to love every day.)
I promise you’ll be better off because of it. XOXO.
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