Nothing short of a heartache

Written by August McCarthy, Editorials Editor

Is Christmas the only day that we think about going to church? Is Thanksgiving the only day that we are thankful for others? So with this in mind, why is there a special holiday with the purpose of showing love for your significant other?

Valentines Day is a pointless holiday created simply to put a dent in our wallets. Leading up to the Christmas season, retailers will bend over backwards to try to get you to walk through their doors and through all the aisles of marked down merchandise. But for Valentines Day, get ready to pay for 40 dollars for a worthless plant that grows out of the dirt.

No, it’s not just flowers that you are expected to buy. Jewelry, chocolates, and of course, the Valentines Day dinner are all regulars likely to be presented. The 14 billion dollar day can expect to turn out about 180 million roses, 36 million heart shaped boxes, and over a billion dollars worth of jewelry.

“It’s a woman’s holiday made to get free stuff,” said senior Daniel Blasser, who has been in a relationship with junior Elisa Figueroa for over 14 months.

“I like it because it’s a great opportunity to show your significant other how much you care for them.” said Elisa, “Unfortunately, there are some people like Daniel who try to ruin it.”

For most guys, it’s not that we want to ruin this “special” day, we just wish there was not so much hype surrounding it.

“There’s too much expectation,” said history teacher Jonathan York. “It’s just a holiday made up by Hallmark, and it only puts pressure on the guys.”

The stress mounts on top of us even if we are not in a relationship. Every year February 14th serves as a reminder to those who are once again without a date. “It can make single people feel bad about themselves,” said senior Nathan Clayton.

“Everyday should be Valentines Day,” said York, “and we should show our appreciation to others everyday. Not just on Valentines Day.”

And while some may not agree with this idea, I believe there is a valid point here. Without the holiday, it is a real test to guys (or girls) to show how much they care about their partner throughout the whole year without having this one day to use as a make-up day.

The test should not be given on this one day of the year. Rather, it should be a test to see how well you perform all 365 days.

1. Mr. Valentine Says:
   February 18th, 2010 at 11:12 am

   I do not appreciate this article. I think that you are very “dark in the heart”

   [Reply]