There is one day a year it seems like couples have to dole out plenty of extravagance to prove how much they really love their better half.
Chocolates, candy, flowers, and maybe even an engagement ring or two are given to children, girlfriends, wives, and in the odd reversal, boyfriends and husbands.
A day where sugar rushes are normal, and those who remain single sometimes longing for a partner in which the big day on Feb. 14 is an unwelcome reminder of their current status.
Valentine’s Day, derived to pay homage to St. Valentine, contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition.
According to an article on www.history.com, while some believe that Valentine’s Day is celebrated in the middle of February to commemorate the anniversary of Valentine’s death or burial, others claim the Christian church may have decided to place St. Valentine’s feast day in the middle of the month in an effort to “Christianize” the pagan celebration of Lupercalia, a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman God of Agriculture.
“Lupercalia survived the initial rise of Christianity but was outlawed at the end of the 5th century,” stated the article. “It was not until much later that the day became definitively associated with love. During the Middle Ages, it was commonly believed in France and England that Feb. 14 was the beginning of birds’ mating season, which added the idea that Valentine’s Day should be a day for romance.”
With history dating back many centuries, the holiday has also changed from a day of hard thought-out romance to a commercialized money grabber.
If mass consumption of media is to be believed, you really must not love her very much if you don’t take out that bank loan for those diamond earrings that you can see from outer space.
Then there is the romantic dinner where the lovebirds are decked out in their evening finest, eating steak and lobster with music accompaniment from the violin player as he hopes she does not notice he is picking the second-least expensive wine from the list because he doesn’t want to look totally cheap.
Valentine’s Day has turned into a popularity contest in some schools as kids take notice of how many Valentine’s Day cards they have received from their fellow students. Children of all ages are expected to bring these cards to school to hand out to classmates, and each year someone gets hurt because their crush didn’t give them a card, or the card they were given was really lame.
In the world of commerce and advertising, when did  the feelings that Valentine’s Day are supposed to evoke become a test of one-upmanship?
According to www.statisticbrain.com, approximately $13.19 billion is spent on Valentine’s Day. This is slightly ridiculous. A day that holds so much history has been turned into a commercialized holiday, for many people.
Although for some ill-prepared husbands out there, Valentine’s Day may mean a rushed visit to the drug store for some chocolates, whatever the level of pageantry, it is still a day that should be marked when it comes to matters of the heart.
It is just that it is a feeling that should be emphasized 365 days a year. We shouldn’t need our Valentine’s Days, our Mother’s days or Christmas to remind us to care about one another.
The feeling of love does not need to be evoked by getaways to Paris or fancy rings, it could be simply doing some housework for the wife after she’s had a long day at work or re-connecting with an old friend.
Valentine’s Day does not need to be reserved just for couples, it can be for grandparent to grandchild, sibling to sibling, or parent to child.
Who needs a specific day to say “I love you”?
Who needs a specific day to buy their loved ones chocolates, or flowers, or even a card?
Valentine’s Day will be celebrated, but really it is just a day, and those three magic words that many will hear on Thursday, can be expressed in so many different ways that will have far more impact than what commercials hawking their wares will tell you.