Roses are red, violets are blue

Valentine’s Day is for me and for you

Sophomore Annie Murff displays her self-confidence by drawing a heart on the mirror in the bathroom. Murff plans to spend her valentines day with her friends and family.

Photo: Katie Boyle '17

Sophomore Annie Murff displays her self-confidence by drawing a heart on the mirror in the bathroom. Murff plans to spend her valentines day with her friends and family.

Some people seem to get really worked up by Valentine’s Day. It’s a day full of candy and teddy bears and love, but nonetheless, there are still those who find a reason to be angry about it.

Valentine’s Day is not a day to burn pictures of your exes, nor is it a day to smother everyone you see with teddy bears, kisses and candy. Valentine’s Day is merely a day dedicated to celebrating the love that we should, and hopefully are, exercising all the time.

Don’t get me wrong, I love a giant teddy bear with a big red bow as much as the next person, but Valentine’s Day is a celebration of love, not necessarily a celebration of stuff. In my honest opinion, a dozen balloons filled with hand-cut confetti hearts is a little too much, and going on a romantic helicopter ride is a bit excessive. Valentine’s Day is definitely a day to celebrate your love, but it’s more of a celebration of something you feel on the inside, not something on the outside that you buy. Going to a nice dinner or just hanging out and watching Netflix are some simple things to do with your significant other without getting swept up in this crazy thing we call Valentine’s Day.

However, just because you shouldn’t strive to emerge as the champion of Valentine’s Day by buying out the chocolate section of Kroger doesn’t mean being anti-Valentine’s Day is the answer either. There are plenty of times throughout the year when listening to Taylor Swift circa 2009 and burning pictures of your exes is acceptable, but that doesn’t mean you should do it on Valentine’s Day. If your significant other is, well, not-so-significant anymore, take that opportunity to celebrate your friends, family and even yourself.

To all of you single people out there, please remember that Valentine’s Day is not only for couples! Celebrating the love you have for your friends, family, and even your dog is just as important as celebrating the love you have for your significant other.

Whether it’s giving Leslie Knope-style gifts for a Galentine’s Day celebration, going to a nice dinner with your mom or scheduling a Netflix date with your pet, Valentine’s Day is a day to celebrate your love with everyone, not just your significant other.

If spending all of Valentine’s Day celebrating your loved ones isn’t enough, celebrate yourself! Loving yourself is equally as important as loving your friends and family. I’m not condoning narcissism, but a treat-yo-self day isn’t so bad either.

While Valentine’s Day can be blown out of proportion and while I’m sure Hallmark does benefit from the abundance of cards purchased the week of Valentine’s, it is simply a day to celebrate any kind of love, whether it be with your significant other, your friends or even your Harry Styles cardboard cutout.

If you still have negative thoughts about Valentine’s Day after exhausting all other options, try to remember two very important words, “discount” and “candy.”