By Jennifer Colbourne (Staff Writer) – Email
For every holiday there always seems to be a certain set of people whining about it. “It’s too commercialized,” they say, as if this thought is such an original, alternative way to view a holiday. “I believe we should show love to each other and give gifts all year, not one fucking day because society tells us so.” Whoa, calm down rebel! Yeah, the best way to defy society is to be a jackass to friends and family – or, in the case of Valentine’s Day, a significant other.
It’s true, commercialism is a bitch. But just because Wal-Mart has hijacked Christmas, Valentine’s Day, and Easter, it doesn’t mean you have to go shopping there in order to participate in a holiday. Besides, there’s a reason that the holidays have been commercialized in the first place: because the majority of the population, save for a few stick-in-the-mud counter-culture rebels, love the holidays. Like any business, naturally, the stores are trying to capitalize on this. It’s not a crime. In fact, it’s just common sense.
What should we do? Drop all the holidays because they’ve been commercialized? Now that’s just foolish. Every culture has its traditions, which can be a beautiful part of celebrating life as a human being. With Valentine’s Day coming up, it seems boyfriends (and even girlfriends) everywhere are claiming they don’t submit to something as superficial as celebrating Valentine’s, when in reality they’re actually just too damn lazy and cheap to bother, claiming they can show their partner love anytime of the year.
But do we? Valentine’s is the one holiday when we are pointedly reminded about how lucky we are that we have our significant other to love, and we devote an entire day to reminding them and ourselves of the extent of that love. It’s hard in our busy lives to find a moment to show the one we love how we feel, but on February 14, we are given a whole day to do so, and conveniently, it’ll be easier to get special chocolates, flowers, lingerie, or sex toys, because the stores have anticipated our needs. How thoughtful.
And what of those bitter single people, who often admit they hate the holiday simply because they’re alone? Don’t let sour grapes ruin something just because you’re alone this year. Your time will come. In the meantime, why not party with your single friends, give each other gifts, and drink red martinis? Or ask someone on a date; many a great relationship has been started by a simple, “I don’t want to be alone on Valentine’s Day.”
Lay off Valentine’s Day. There are worse things in the world than a holiday that reminds you to love someone.
