As the chilly days and biting winds of February drag on it is common for many people to feel a bit down; summer is still far away and the holiday season is over, so cold February days often feel depressing and dreary. To add to this gloomy effect, one overly sweet and candy-filled day in the middle of the month is approaching and its arrival is rarely given a warm welcome. Valentine’s Day is afoot.
“Valentine’s Day should just be called ‘Singles Awareness Day’”, joked Stephanie Jacob ’15 with a slight note of seriousness in her voice. Other students seemed to sympathize with Jacob, meeting the mention of Valentine’s Day with grumbles and gloomy expressions.
This lack of enthusiasm for Valentine’s Day at Wheaton led me to question what exactly Valentine’s Day is even about for college students. In Elementary School, Valentine’s Day is the one day of the year where everyone can eat candy in class; it is about pink frilly cards and heart shaped lollypops. For our parents it is a day to feel young, to go out on dinner-dates and rekindle old romance. However, for the majority of college students, who are stuck between the two worlds of adult responsibility and childhood freedom, Valentine’s Day is often forgotten. It makes one wonder what ever happened to the days of red roses and young sweethearts that are so romanticized in old movies.
With all that being said, it’s easy to see why so many people have a rather cynical view towards Valentine’s Day. It is understandable for singles to feel that the day highlights their lack of a committed romantic relationship. It is also understandable for couples to feel that the day is too “cheesy” to celebrate truly. Valentine’s Day has become a day where many college students either feel lonely or stressed out about what their expectations are for their significant other.
Before letting Valentine’s Day get you sad or stressed out, take a minute to remember what the holiday is really all about. Sure, it’s one of the fueling forces behind greeting card companies, but it’s also the one day of the year completely dedicated to love. Although, what seems to entice Wheaton students even more about Valentine’s Day is that it’s a day dedicated to excessive candy and dessert eating.
Quipped Bjorn Craig-Muller ’13, “It’s not Valentine’s Day that I care about so much, but getting candy half off the day after”.
On a slightly more serious note, Valentine’s Day is the one day where everyone can show their friends, family and romantic interests how much they really love and care for them. If everyone spent Valentine’s Day with the people they love and care about, rather than wallowing in sadness or fretting over making the perfect plans, then the day would surely have a much better reputation than it does.