The Lamplighter: V-Day: Splurging Your Heart Out
Posted By Admin on February 27, 2011
Ah, Valentine’s Day.
The one time of year that presents a plethora of teddy bears, boxes of chocolate, flowers and heart-shaped objects.
While I am a closeted fan of cheesy gestures, there is definitely a fair share of people who hate the so-called holiday and all that it entails.
Valentine’s Day has become a controversy in modern culture and people are always split on their opinions of whether it should be celebrated or loathed. Perhaps it is because people are forgetting what Valentine’s Day is really about, and they are losing the true perspective on what it means to care about someone.
Valentine’s Day is a day intended to appreciate and spend time with loved ones, or, for some angst-filled teenagers, a day to whine about not having a significant other.
Unfortunately, the way I see it, February 14 is slowly becoming another “excuse” holiday.
”Excuse” holidays such as Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and now Valentine’s Day, are days that should not be necessary; a person should not need a designated day to appreciate a loved one.
When people celebrate “excuse” holidays, it is almost as if the other 364 days of the year imply a lack of appreciation for a particular person in someone’s life. With the obligations of Valentine’s Day, the spontaneity of a relationship is immediately voided. When someone expects a gift, it is not nearly as special as it would be if it was given on a random day of the year. The necessity of gift-giving kills the excitement, making the day extremely dull and predictable.
Valentine’s Day becomes a very superficial and expensive day for many couples as well. Flowers die, restaurants are crowded, and cheap chocolate is disgusting.
Why waste your money?
Try spending a day with your special someone by trying something new.
Perhaps learn to cook together, go on a hike, or take a unique class together such as a dance class or an art class– the possibilities are endless.
Plus, it is a lot more romantic to make these plans spontaneously rather than having to make plans months in advance because everyone feels a dire need make plans on Valentine’s Day.
It can be easy to get creative when your mind is not cluttered with dinner reservation times, and how much money you are blowing on that bouquet of roses that will be in the garbage can next week. Even better, if you plan these dates on days that are nowhere near mid-February, you will most likely avoid any hassle.
All in all, people do not need a day set aside to say “I love you,” they should be able to say it and appreciate loved ones every single day.
Valentine’s Day is a beautiful concept, but it has been tarnished by the over-commercialized, sappy industry of materialism and conceit.
If people would grasp the idea of Valentine’s Day, and treat every day as a special day with loved ones, everyone would be much happier with their relationships, and maybe just happier in general.
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