But please don't actually do that if you don't want to.
As we once again approach my absolute favorite holiday of the year, let's take a moment to reflect upon why I actually hate Valentine's day.
And it isn't because I'm single.
The ever dreaded "single's awareness day," or my personal favorite "shallow attempt to buy affection day" is the essence of commercialization. This is ultimately the reason I don't care for it.
Don't get me wrong. I love a classic RomCom as much as the next person, and think Love Actually is probably one of the greatest movies, closely followed by Pride & Prejudice. I'm a hopeless romantic that dreams of maybe one day falling in love with the cute guy I see every day, or the secretly romantic guy that pretends not to have emotions, or the secret millionaire that has been promised away to his cousin. Okay, let's be real, I'm talking about a combination of Love Actually and P&P. I don't actually want any of these things (???).
The point that I'm trying to make, however, is that I don't hate love, or the idea of it. I hate the exploitation of such a sentiment, so that companies can make a shit-ton of money by raising the price of chocolate and roses for about a week.
I'm in favor of exactly one Valentine's day celebration with your significant other. Everyone should experience just one. Dinner and a movie and a bouquet of flowers. Some fancy restaurant. Rose petals and wine. Wander the streets naked, couldn't care less to be honest. Do something special that might be unforgettable. Do it once.
And then just stop. For the love of God.
Maybe it's that hopeless romantic in me, telling myself that "love is sacred" and should't be something that's bought or sold. Maybe I'm old fashioned.
But I'm right.
Setting aside one day as the day to say "I love you" is like setting aside one minute every now and then to say "hey, guess what lungs, you're breathing! Congrats!" If you love someone you don't need a calendar day to profess it.
As Bryan Adams (and every other love song) says, "When you love someone you'll feel it deep inside / And nothing else could ever change your mind / When you want someone, when you need someone / When you love someone..."
I don't need a fancy dinner or a ridiculously adorable date night to know I'm in a relationship with someone. All I need is to sit on the couch in a stolen sweater playing Call of Duty or watching Netflix all day. Being alone with someone that you care about, and someone that cares about you, is much better than a flashy thing surrounded by hundreds of other couples trying to somehow prove that they have the greatest love since not-Romeo-and-Juliet.
So if you don't feel like going out on Valentine's Day to be surrounded by hundreds of other couples, I'll steal one of your sweaters and play Call of Duty with you.
I'll even let you win.
