Stop hatin' on St. Valentine
By Tessa Cogman
Nexus (Camosun College)
February 4, 2009
VICTORIA (CUP) – Sweet, chocolate-y goodness, many shades of red, and giant bouquets of flowers are just around the corner, waiting to pounce on the single and depressed.
It happens every year; your best friend is down and out because he or she thinks there’s no one to love, and our society attacks broken hearts by bombarding them with cupid images.
Singles form into groups and make pacts to stomp on every bouquet and avoid every couple in sight.
I’ve been single on Valentine’s Day before, and I know how horrible it can be. Seeing happy couples everywhere, or watching your best friend get more cards than you, can make Feb. 14 feel like more of a popularity contest than a holiday.
You look out the window before you leave the house, just in case there’s someone waiting to point and laugh at you. One year I even carried a thumbtack around with me so I could pop any ‘Will you be my Valentine?’ balloons.
But can we just stop burning pictures of our exes and move on with our lives? Valentine’s Day doesn’t need to be about the girlfriend and boyfriend, the girlfriend and girlfriend, the boyfriend and boyfriend, or even the love-triangle type. Anyone and everyone can enjoy Valentine’s Day.
Don’t have a love in your life? Send out cards to friends, parents, or siblings. Don’t want to spend money on cards? Then make them like you did in second grade and use those sparkles that are harder to get rid of than the herpes.
It’s not like it’s Christmas, where you have to spend your entire paycheck on presents; a few lines of text and a dash of pink can say it all.
Most of us work far too hard, and we should use every excuse to celebrate something in our lives. Whether it’s staying home with a friend and watching romantic comedies, or going out for a romantic dinner with your special someone, Valentine’s Day should be about appreciation, not an angry mob of singles with torches and axes.
The more people there are complaining about Hallmark holidays, the more people there are feeling guilty for enjoying them.
Just keep in mind that everyone, at some point, has felt bitter towards Valentine’s Day, but next year’s could be really sweet. Then you can be a hypocrite like everyone else.
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