By SALLY EHLERS 

Love. Every February the idea of love and romance flourishes in the air around us. Hearts full of chocolates fill stores, cute cards line the shelves and waves of red and pink crash upon our lives.

Once Feb. 14 comes around, partners become anxious and worried because they don’t want to disappoint. Questions like “What do women really want?” and “Why do women love Valentine’s Day?” buzz around, but no one seems to ever know the answer. Take a moment and think, are these even the right questions to be asking?

Women love Valentine’s Day. They love the cards and diamond rings. They love that there is a day dedicated to romance. They love to to set high expectations. At least, that is what society seems to believe.

Many women really do love the rush of Valentine’s Day, but there are also plenty of us who think the holiday is over-commercialized, unnecessary and simply ludicrous.

As soon as you turn on the television, or even walk down the street, all you see is Valentine’s Day propaganda. Hearts and roses cover billboards and fly through commercials.

But here’s the truth: Valentine’s Day is a scam.

According to CNN, an average of $130.97 is spent per person for Valentine’s Day. This means that companies, from Hallmark to small-town florists, make an absurd amount of money from unconfident people who feel the need to confirm their love with material goods.

But buying someone roses is not an adequate way to show your love, especially if it is only once a year. Love is shown when you laugh at their really bad joke, or when you cook for them when they are sick. Love is shown through a series of small romantic gestures. Most importantly, love is a year-round commitment, not a one-day event. If the passion and affection fueled by love is truly present in your relationship, then the test of buying heart-shaped chocolates is unnecessary. It should be obvious who loves you and who you love through everyday hints and signs. No woman will want your flowers and chocolates on Valentine’s Day if that is the only time that you reveal your love for her. Make everyday Valentine’s Day.

Now, this is what I advise to everyone around Valentine’s Day: get to know your woman. You can’t expect to know how every woman feels about Valentine’s Day from reading a single article. I think that Valentine’s Day is just an annoying “Hallmark holiday,” but that does not mean that my whole gender agrees. Every woman is different; some adore the rush of love that comes along with material items whereas some despise the synthetic affection.

By DYLAN JOSEPHSON

I never really understood the true point of Valentine’s Day until I entered high school. My opinion has changed several times throughout my life and as I have grown up, my experiences on the holiday each year have all been very different.
In preschool, teachers treated the holiday just like an ordinary day. Maybe we would draw a picture of a heart or some sort of illustration using the color red. I had no opinion of the holiday as a five year old.

Then in elementary school, that changed. Valentine’s Day turned into an excuse to receive free candy, chocolate and cards from classmates. Every year, I would come home from school with a huge bag of treats and I thought it was like a mini-Halloween. I absolutely loved the holiday at this point.

The transition from fifth grade to sixth grade wasn’t only difficult because of a change in schools. In middle school, it was almost like Valentine’s Day as a whole ceased to exist. There were rarely any sights of red and there was very little candy exchanged. As a sixth grader, I remember struggling with the fact that the fun was over and I was very disappointed.

Students stopped handing out treats mostly because everyone considered themselves to be older and more mature. Other than the very few students with a girlfriend or boyfriend in middle school, Valentine’s Day was extremely irrelevant during these three years.
Now, in high school, the holiday has made somewhat of a return. Not because we all want candy and sweets, but because Valentine’s Day has an entirely new meaning that I am finally able to recognize. The day is meant for love and with so many students in relationships, they enjoy the romance of it all with their significant other.

Although I understand why Valentine’s Day is celebrated by couples, I don’t have a permanent opinion on it. I think your opinion is dependent on where you are in your life every February 14. I don’t have a girlfriend so for me it feels the same as every other day of the year which isn’t a bad thing. It bothers me when single people complain endlessly about not getting any attention on Valentine’s Day. The cheesiness of the day can certainly be annoying but it is one day out of 365 and your experience the next year can be entirely different from the last.