There were countless Christian martyrs named Valentine. During the third century under the ruling of Claudius II of Rome, a priest named Valentine broke the law. Claudius had decided a single soldier was better than a married soldier. So, naturally, he outlawed marriage. Valentine did not agree with this idea and began to marry soldiers illegally. He was caught and killed. There are other legends in the same vein, but none of them are happy or involved anything other than tragedy.

Valentine’s Day was not celebrated until the 17th century. Now, it’s the second largest holiday for greeting cards. Each Valentine’s Day, more than 141 million cards are sold (the number one holiday: Christmas – I find it interesting that both of them are based on consumerism 100 percent).

Valentine’s Day is the kind of day that divides people into two broad categories:  people in a relationship and singles. The single people are bitter and hate everything cute, pink, and love related. Those in a relationships expect to be showered with gifts that are supposed to prove someone cares.

Please explain to me how flowers, chocolate, stuffed animals, fancy dinners, and cards equate love. They do not; especially not for me. Flowers make me sneeze. I’m allergic to chocolate. I think stuffed animals are pointless. I am the world’s pickiest eater and I’m not crazy about cards. The holiday does nothing for me.

If one is loved, why should there be a designated day? Being in a relationship is about far more than gifts. Between birthdays, Christmas, anniversaries, and other celebrations, relationships become a constant flow of money spent.

The concept is headed in the right direction, but misses the mark completely. The idea of honoring the person you’re with is nice, but why the forced obligation? Try picking a random day, make a mix cd, write a poem, play a board game, keep it simple. 

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