What does Valentine’s Day mean to people?

Single vs. in a relationship: who’s happier on Feb. 14?

As we all know, every Feb. 14 is Valentine’s Day, which started with a priest named St. Valentine.

There have been different versions of the story, mostly heroic, sympathetic and romantic. On this day, most people who celebrate Valentine’s tend to exchange gifts, such as flowers and candy with loved ones and friends, but there are some people who do not believe in or celebrate Valentine’s Day.

According to Healthline, a person’s feelings towards Valentine’s depends on how the person feels about themselves and what relationship the person is in or what is currently happening in their lives.

“I prefer to spend Valentine’s Day alone.” said Yvonne, a Family and Consumer Science student. To her, being alone on Valentine’s Day is not the end of the world.

She is not the only who feels this way. According to the Healthline survey, 58 percent of people are okay with being alone during Valentine’s. More women than men said that they are fine with being alone on Feb. 14.

Most people have a neutral feeling toward Valentine day while some have a positive feeling, according to DePaul Magazine. It also states that women have significantly more positive feeling than men.

There are also other surveys that have shown that people in a relationship tend to be the ones to celebrate Valentine’s Day more than single people. People in relationships tend to spend four times more than people who are single. Most people agree that Valentine’s Day can still be of importance to people in a long-term relationship as it is important for them to express their love for each other over again.

Societal pressure is another factor to different feelings surrounding Valentine’s; the confusion of “do I get a gift, or don’t I?” This may be because they have not bought gifts for their family and friends or someone gave them a gift unexpectedly and they did not have anything to give in return.

What about celebrating Valentine’s Day with strangers? Since it is been themed the day to express love, can we also share the love to strangers? As people buy and exchange gifts with their friends and family during Valentine’s Day, they could also try and give out gifts to strangers in the expression of love.

Do we have to wait for Valentine’s Day to exchange gifts with our loved ones and friends? Are there other things that people can do for Valentine’s other than exchanging gifts, going to the movies, hanging out with friends and so on?

Are you okay being alone on Feb. 14? Most people believe in Valentine’s and will celebrate it each year while some do not celebrate it. For those who do, they should express their love to others aside from their loved ones.