Valentine’s Day is a holiday with high expectations. It was originally created by greeting card companies to celebrate love but has since become just as commercialized as Christmas and Easter. 
It’s a day that forces men and women to show their significant others their appreciation through gifts. Consequently, love is not measured by the heart but by the wallet.
The problem starts when you’re a child. In elementary school, Valentine’s Day is a holiday where you buy cards and candy for your classmates. It is driven into our minds that this is the norm, and when we grow up, we automatically expect to receive gifts.
According to a TIME magazine article, Americans will spend an average of $126.03 per person this Valentine’s Day, which is up 8.5 percent from last year. Consumers are expected to spend the most on jewelry, at about $4.1 billion.
I have seen some girls send their boyfriends links to expensive jewelry on Facebook, a not-so-subtle hint that Valentine’s day is around the corner. As a college student, expecting my boyfriend to spend hundreds of dollars on a gift seems ridiculous and unrealistic. But according to a 2010 U.S. Census survey, 53 percent of women in America said they would break-up with their boyfriend if they did not get them anything for Valentine’s Day.
It shouldn’t be this way. Take it from me, someone who has a special someone. It is not about receiving gifts, even though the numbers above support it.
So where is the love?
Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy celebrating love, but it should not be a holiday where you are expected or forced to exchange expensive gifts.
I’m not saying that you can’t give flowers, candy and cards, but it surely isn’t the only way to express your love. There are plenty of other ways to show someone you care.
For the last two years, my boyfriend and I have decided to celebrate Valentine’s Day by trying new restaurants in the Twin Cities. Just being able to share each other’s company is enough for both of us. I don’t need an expensive necklace or a dozen roses; just him.
Ashley Stewart can be reached at stew1177@stthomas.edu.
I agree with the article’s main point that materialism has overtaken love as the major element of Valentine’s Day and I also find that problematic. I just want to point out that Valentine’s Day DOES have historical origins and was not made up by greeting card companies. The following link gives insight to the legend of Saint Valentine: http://www.history.com/topics/valentines-day