Why is Valentine's Day a Holiday?

Every year on February 14th is Valentine's Day, the holiday of love and romance. Couples go out and flowers are purchased and sent to their loved ones. It’s a beautiful holiday, if you are in a relationship. If you aren’t, this holiday is practically useless and slightly painful.

The real question people should be asking when this holiday rolls around, is not what kind of chocolates should be purchased, but why this holiday is even a thing?

If you are not in a relationship this holiday can end up making you feel bad about yourself and your relationship status. Look on any social media platform and you’ll see and read about everyone's magical time. For students, even kids in elementary school, you get the option of sending flowers to anyone you'd like. But the problem is not everyone receives one, and that can diminish a person's self esteem, especially for younger kids.

This holiday is not only an issue for people who are not in a relationship, but even for those who have a significant other. Valentine's day is a holiday of stress. The pressure is on. Every year there’s better chocolates, bigger teddy bears, and prettier flowers. It doesn’t end with the gifts either. You can’t forget to make date plans because what would be better than sitting in an overcrowded restaurant, movie theater, or park?

This holiday is just for people who are overly concerned with status. It is not your traditional holiday, it is strictly a hallmark holiday. So why, year after year, do people celebrate it? There’s always constant complaints about it before, after, and during the holiday. Why can’t couples pick any day throughout the year to celebrate their love and keep it to themselves instead of creating whole photo albums on social media?