By Ciara Speller –
Does the true sentimental value of Valentine’s Day still exist in today’s society, or has it just become another extravagant holiday for us to go through the motion of buying gifts? Isn’t the true meaning of this holiday for us to demonstrate our affection for our love ones? So then, why does this holiday mainly consist of buying dozens of expensive roses and pounds of costly chocolates? Personally, I don’t believe that St. Valentine was martyred on Feb. 14th for people to celebrate his death in this manner.
I believe that the true meaning of Valentine’s Day needs to be resurrected so that we as a society can embrace the tradition of this holiday. We need to demonstrate our feelings towards others on this day by putting more thought and effort into making them happy rather than substituting our love with expensive gifts. Of course there is always the temptation of Victoria Secret’s lavish gifts displayed in their stores, such as great smelling perfume and candy flavored lipsticks.
Media Credit: MCT Campus
Some believe, however, that the holiday is just a ploy geared toward increasing stores’ profits and does not really touch the heart. Flower shops and candy stores are also going to try and sell you on buying big, fancy arrangements claiming that, “They are going to love it,” but once again that is only for the sake of profits for that organization. This is not to say that buying gifts for Valentine’s Day is wrong, I just don’t believe that buying a red, two-seater sports car or a shiny new Rolex as a Valentine’s Day gift is the most genuine way to show one’s love.
Personally, I feel the most loved and appreciated on Valentine’s Day when I can see that effort was put into doing something special for me, rather than just receiving a material gift. My ideal gift would be having my boyfriend prepare my favorite meal and watching a romantic movie with me. Although inexpensive, it has great value because it’s something that comes from the heart. Why not put some serious thought into what will truly make your loved ones feel special on this day.
If I cannot sell you on this theory because you are just into the gift giving thing, perhaps I can share some creative ideas with you that will set the scene for a special day. Imagine your girlfriend loves chocolate cookies from the local neighborhood bakery! Well, how about creating your own special cookies? All it really takes is a little time and the mixture of a few eggs, sugar and milk that will run you less than $10 and save you a fortune on gourmet cookies. If you want to make it really special, perhaps you can come up with a name for the cookies that has some sentimental value to your relationship, such as “seven kisses” if your anniversary is on the 7th. You can also perhaps garnish the cookies with seven chocolate kisses and include a love note; it’s both thoughtful and original. If your boyfriend is really into movies, you can put together a great movie basket for him with goodies like popcorn and candy with a favorite old movie. That will save you a little money and can also create a nice cozy movie theater atmosphere for you right at home.
I received feedback from a few students on their feelings about this special holiday.
Freshman, Rihannon Lloyd believes that Valentine’s Day would be more significant if there were more advertisements promoting thoughtful, self-created gifts rather than encouraging people to spend hours in stores and online buying things that someone may not truly value. Junior Amanda Pecora shared that when she was in the second grade, a boy who lived across the street baked her cookies on Valentine’s Day, and that memory has always stayed with her. This is an example that the small gifts that come from the heart will stay in the heart of the receiver.
In the end, as much as your girlfriend may want that Pandora bracelet or charm, or your boyfriend has been dropping hints about a North Face sweatshirt; think twice before you buy those gifts, because you will probably receive a warmer reception if you give them a special gift from the heart.
