KRISTEN SMITH
LIFE EDITOR

I have finally figured out why I hate Valentine’s Day. Despite being an overpriced, commercialized cash-grab, it could very well be the route of insecurity.
It can be traced back to elementary school Valentine’s Day card exchanges. The excitement about getting cards in earlier grades when children are required to give them to everyone quickly morphed into anxiety as the nice tradition became a popularity contest.
The origins of this celebration are unclear as there are several Christian martyrs named Valentine. The most popular legend is that of a third century priest, who was secretly marrying couples against the orders of Claudius II Gothicus. The Roman emperor had decided that unmarried men made better soldiers than those with wives and families and outlawed the marriage of young couples. The priest, imprisoned for his actions, is said to have sent the first Valentine – a love letter to the jailer’s daughter signed “from your Valentine.”
Valentine’s Day began being popularly celebrated in Europe around the 17th century and by the mid-18th century it was common to exchange small tokens of affection or handwritten notes. By the end of the century, due to improvements in printing technology, handwritten notes were replaced with easier, ready-made cards.
In the 1840s, a seminary college student had the entrepreneurial idea of making and producing Valentine’s Day cards. Now admiringly known as the mother of the American Valentine, she is responsible for the mass-production that solidifies Valentine’s Day as a Hallmark holiday.
Esther Howland, you’re to blame for ruining a perfectly nice day.
The commercialization of Valentine’s Day has, of course, snowballed since then. A dozen roses double in price and prix fixe menus run you about $50 a head.
The pressure to buy a gift and have a perfect romantic evening is all too much. What I hate most is how Valentine’s Day makes people who are not in a relationship feel like crap.
I can understand the appeal. A full day, specifically allotted to make your partner feel special. But the fact that it is contrived is what takes away from all the grand gestures.
Save the over-the-top gestures of love for a random day when it will really mean something.
Whether Valentine’s Day makes you swoon or want to dry heave, if you have to celebrate, keep it simple. Write a love letter, give a lock of your hair, hug your mother and call it a day.