Valentine’s Day is the worst. For all those unfortunate enough to be in a relationship on that day, there is suddenly a massive added pressure to be romantic. This means that people have to buy their significant other flowers, or chocolates, or come up with some grand romantic gesture like in every romantic comedy ever, and if they don’t it seems like they don’t care about the relationship. And it’s only worse for those who don’t have a significant other. They can’t go anywhere without seeing couple after couple acting even more annoyingly cutesy than normal, feeling mocked by every pink heart and winged-archer-baby picture put up as decorations.
Speaking of decorations, Valentine’s Day decorations are some of the tackiest.  I mean red and pink hearts (that are not even remotely similar in shape to actual hearts) everywhere? Ew. Not to mention that one of the least romantic images to my mind is the organ which pumps blood through the body. Necessary and important? Yes. Romantic? Only if you like blood. And as for all those cupids: What is the first thing that you think of when you think of love? Flying babies trying to shoot you with arrows, of course.
Valentine’s Day, as the story goes, was started in honor of St. Valentine, who secretly wedded Christian couples who were banned from getting married by the Roman Empire until they executed him. Why the Romans would do such a thing boggles the imagination, but that’s how it goes. Eventually, Catholic Church recognized him as a saint, designating his holiday February 14. Now, as the best way of honoring such a martyr, we decorate all our hallways with little cupids (the roman god of desire) and make everyone feel bad about their romantic relationships (or lack thereof). Right. Because that makes sense.
Valentine’s Day shouldn’t be a major holiday. What benefits does it really bring? Some chocolates and flowers from your significant other (if you have one), and lots of revenue for the greeting card companies, but that’s essentially it. And its downfalls are quite apparent. It makes those who are in a relationship feel pressure to prove their love to each other and the rest of the world. And those who aren’t are made to feel bad for being alone, or worse: pitied.