Some people like to jokingly call this holiday “Singles’ Awareness Day”. I hate that. I really do. Now, Valentine’s day is for sure a commercial holiday created by capitalism in order to make you think you need to buy things and honestly, the “holiday” itself has kind of a gory past.
More on that HERE.
Sometimes it’s easier to redeem cultural things than to boycott them altogether. I am a firm believer that Valentine’s Day is one of those aspects of the American culture worth redeeming. Here’s the thing, I’m probably at an advantage in my ability to see this holiday differently than most do, because growing up my mom always made it a holiday that was fun for ALL of us, not just her and Dad. Every year I would come home from school to some kind of gift be it a thoughtful trinket or a box of my favorite chocolates, she would leave it on my bed for me to find upon ariving home. She would do the same for my brother and then she would almost ALWAYS make a special dinner. I recall most years it was some variation of crab, lobster or steak along with baked potatoes, fancy salad and the best cheese toast! Because of Mom’s enjoyment of this holiday and the way she always made it a family affair, my brother and I never felt left-out, in fact we looked forward to it more than most of our friends who were in dating relationships.
If that wasn’t your experience and for you Valentine’s Day was always sad and lonely, I am sorry. BUT! I don’t think that’s an excuse for you to keep on moping either. If you want to see change, you need to be willing to be part of it, so make this year different! Consider ways in which you can show those around you how much you love and appreciate them (mom, dad, grandparents, siblings, friends, co-workers, etc). That might look different for each person, for some people that might mean writing them a short letter, for others it might mean putting together goodie bags or even buying those silly valentine’s cards we used to hand out in Elementary school. This year instead of being sad about being single, use your time to bless others and in return, you will get so much joy!
If you choose to join me in breaking the norms of this holiday, comment on my IG post or here and let me know what you did and how it went!
Kelsopedia 