Do we really need Valentine’s Day – or, as some call it, Singles’ Awareness Day, High Expectations Day, or Go Broke Because You’re in a Relationship Day? Do we need an entire holiday to tell someone we love them? Why is it there’s one day of the year where expectations are raised that our significant others will get flowers, plan a date and spend money on things that they know we like.
Shouldn’t a good partner be doing those things all year?
I can answer that. It’s money. Valentine’s Day is the second-largest retail spending holiday, behind Christmas. According to Psychology Today, about $23 billion is spent annually on Valentine’s Day, whether it’s balloons, chocolates, flowers, or lingerie. According to the National Retail Federation, consumers plan to spend an average $185.81 on gifts for the 2024 holiday.
And every year, expectations are higher and higher for people to spend more.
Valentine’s Day does nothing but encourage the idea that the meaning of love is how much money someone is willing to spend on you. Valentine’s Day is not about showing love; it’s about spending money. Because of that, we are confused and disappointed.
Look at how frequently our expectations are dashed. A 2010 study of Facebook statuses showed that most breakups come post-Valentine’s Day. Melissa Orlov wrote in “The Problem With Valentine’s Day:” “If happiness is the distance between expectation and reality, Valentine’s Day sets up many couples to be disappointed.”
So, the holiday isn’t just miserable for single people. People who are coupled are pressured to buy the perfect present, plan the perfect date and create a perfect day on some random day in February that historians decided would be a holiday to leave out single people and stress out people in a relationship. The day of love becomes a lose-lose situation for everyone.
It’s great to tell someone you love them. Someone who truly loves you will treat you like it’s Valentine’s Day every day, minus the insane expectations and billions spent. Whether you’re single, dating, married, or your Valentine is your mom, love isn’t about spending money or buying gifts.