Valentine’s can be a pricey day

Valentine’s Day has become an overpriced tradition. Photo Courtesy: Adobe Stock

Valentine’s Day is supposed to be the day when a person and their partner decide to broadcast the love they have for one another. Some may say that this particular day is just a regular day; that it isn’t something people need to make such a big deal out of.

Spending quality time with someone and allowing a person to feel special on Valentine’s Day is nice, but to show someone love is supposed to be year-round.

“Just because it’s Valentine’s Day doesn’t mean you treat your significant other any more special … they should feel special every day,” said Cornell Smith, deputy branch chief of information technology and cybersecurity at the United States Department of Defense.

The holiday has become less about showing love to those around you and more about a day for thousands of dollars to be spent. Valentine’s Day is overhyped because our culture has converted the day into a money maker.

“There are a million ways to say I love you, and it does not have to be buying chocolate and flowers on one day,” Florida A&M University sociology professor Helen Brethauer-Gay said.

According to Statista.com, planned Valentine’s Day spending for this year is expected to reach $24 billion, which is a $2 billion increase from 2021.

“This day has nothing to do with a truly intimate relationship. It’s only an expression,” Brethauer-Gay said.

The intense amount of love-spreading and gift-giving also creates an illusion for singles who may not receive anything, leaving them feeling bummed.

Even within a relationship, tensions arise. The expensive holiday, in some ways, has made people feel entitled in terms of what they think they should receive.

“Sometimes your partner doesn’t expect a gift but in reality, because the day is so hyped up, most times you already know the deal,” Smith said.

It’s a common thing to expect your partner to already know what you mean without saying what you actually mean. However, sometimes people would rather be surprised, or feel like the gift they are receiving came from the heart.

For some households, however, the tradition of Valentine’s Day is an important one that they feel should always be around because they don’t get to show certain loved ones how special they are due to extenuating circumstances.

“Being on the ship sometimes two out of three weeks in the month and not having service to even talk to your partner makes you feel a certain way, but you know the situation beforehand so I can’t always do what [my partner] wants,” Shawn Wiley, a merchant seaman, said.

For too many reasons, the United States is turning Valentine’s into a day dedicated to making money rather than a genuine expression of love. Doesn’t this make the day overrated?