To love…

By Shannon Schneider, Managing Editor

I support Valentine’s Day because I believe in what matters most: love.

I think most of the flack Valentine’s Day gets is because, first of all, it’s viewed as a holiday for romantic love, and second, because of the commercial response (think flowers and chocolate galore). However, if we broadened our horizons and thought of V-Day outside those lines, would our feelings change?

For me, Valentine’s Day is a day of love as a whole. Yes, romantic love is included, but so is familial love, platonic love and self-love. We put aside a day to recognize and celebrate devotion to ourselves and loved ones, reminding ourselves why the greatest of the three truly is love.

As for the commercialization around Valentine’s Day, it comes down to a matter of choice. Instead of exorbitantly-priced flowers, buy a few packages of seeds for a spring flower garden. Love can be shown in more than one way, and you don’t have to go the traditional route.

When I think back on Valentine’s Days past, I attribute my warm sentiments to my family. My mother has always made holidays special, and every Valentine’s Day I can remember her making a special meal to celebrate. It was a special day not for the chocolates, parties or gifts we received, but for the time spent with those I cherish.

Love is both our lifeblood and our glue. Without it, our lives would be colorless, and Valentine’s Day is simply a reminder that we are surrounded by love. Don’t take this day to scorn your love life, but to reflect on all the great family, friends and loved ones you have in your life.

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By Samantha Persinger, Opinion Editor

Valentine’s Day has always been a day that recognizes romantic love, but what about those of us that are single pringles? Loving yourself can be a big part of your Valentine’s day plans. 

No one is buying you flowers? Go and get your own! No one is holding you back from your own happiness other than yourself. Better yet share a big box of chocolates with your best friends. Don’t have the cash to buy anything? Write yourself a note, make Valentines for your friends or maybe go to a park and have fun. Even if you are alone on Valentine’s Day you should still celebrate loving yourself. You are a living, breathing person and that is awesome.  Feeling bad about not having a significant other in life doesn’t hold me back from all the sales that happen after February 14. Bring on the chocolates.

Despite the stuff I miss out on in relationships, I still celebrate a little tradition with my best girl friends called Galentine’s Day. Galentine’s Day is day to celebrate lady friends. For all of those that do not know, Galentine’s Day is part of an episode in the office comedy Parks and Recreation. Each year my friends and I buy the cutest ‘Valentine’s Day’ stuff and throw a party for all of our lady friends. (It should be a national holiday.) The response I get from my best female friends laughing and enjoying waffles gets me through lonely Valentine’s Day. You don’t need to be in a romantic relationship to celebrate love. 

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…Or not to love

By Donica Enevoldson, Lifestyles Editor

I’m going to tell you a little secret: I’m a hopeless romantic, but as a hopeless romantic, I find little romance in Valentine’s Day. 

On the surface, Valentine’s Day looks like the romantic’s dream, a day all about love and romance. After all, what could be so wrong with a day that promotes love? Well, here are some reasons why I find Feb. 14 the most unromantic day of the year. 

First and most obvious is the fact that Valentine’s day is a commercial holiday. The average person spends around $140 on the day, billions of cards are exchanged, and a multitude of roses are harvested and sold. I’m sure whoever has received a greeting card on Valentine’s day has thought “wow, what a meaningful gesture, I feel so loved and valued with this piece of paper.”

Secondly, if you’ve ever been single over Valentine’s day, you know first hand it’s not super fun. The expectation to be in love during the month of February can leave many feeling depressed and isolated. 

Thirdly, and most interestingly are the early origins of the holiday. Some historians believe Valentine’s day started from the Roman festival of Lupercalia. The feast involved sacrificing puppies and naked men running around whipping women with the hides of sacrificed goats to increase her fertility.

At the end of the day, being guilt-tripped by society into spending money on your significant other as a gesture of your love doesn’t sound romantic to me. If you truly love someone you will show that love in little ways every day of the year.  

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By Brandon Davenport, Sports Editor

Bonne Saint Valentin, Happy Valentinstag, Hau’oli La Aloha, Happy Valentine’s Day. No matter how you say it, Valentine’s Day is terrible. 

Nothing says “I love you” like forced gift buying; nothing says “will you be mine” like a date-by-obligation. Call me crazy, but I’ve never liked Valentine’s Day. 

For starters, it’s another gift you’re obligated to buy. Think about common Valentine’s Day gifts: flowers, jewelry – all gifts that require no more effort than reaching into your wallet, exactly how the companies that support it want it to be. However, chocolate I’ve got all day for – we have no issues there. 

By now, you may be surprised to find that I’m half of a successful relationship that has spanned four Valentine’s Days. My girlfriend and I don’t celebrate Valentine’s. For one thing, we’re both non-traditional students, which is to say we’re typically on a pretty tight budget, so restaurants and gifts are sometimes more stress than stress-reliever. 

These days, because of our insanely busy schedules, getting to spend more than 30 minutes together, let alone eat a meal together, should probably count as a date. 

But that’s okay. We’ll have other opportunities to celebrate our relationship. In fact, I celebrate it every time I wake up to discover she’s decided to put up with me for another day. We certainly don’t need a holiday to remind us why we like each other, which is great, because you know what? I despise Valentine’s Day.