Love's Day or Just Another Hallmark Holiday? A Student Perspective

Valentine's Day has passed. Yet love still looms in the air, or perhaps Skype chats and Adobe Connect breakout rooms. Or does it? With February 14th officially anchored to the day of relationships and love, it seems as though we should all make our way to the local grocery store and invest in an overpriced teddy bear holding a heart box with mediocre chocolates. Is Valentine’s Day important to OHS students? Should we celebrate this lovely day? Or is it just another mass-commercialized holiday we look forward to ending (whether it be for the great candy and plushie sales or to forget this mushy gushy day exists)? 

To address this pressing issue, I sent out a survey to the OHS pronto Bulletin and unofficial Skype Bulletin. After a few weeks of collecting responses, I received a whopping total of 14 responses (seems appropriate considering the day)! . The serendipitous survey included multiple-choice and short-answer questions. 50% of surveyors were full-time, 35.7% were single-course, and 14.3% were part-time. 78.5% of surveyors were in high school and 21.4% were  in middle school. The majority of surveyors is represented by the freshmen class making up 35.7%.

Now let’s find out if these students celebrated the holiday this year. Out of the total surveyed, 35.7% celebrated a variation of Valentine’s Day while 64.3% did not participate in any form of Valentining.

When asked their current relationship status, surveyors had the choices of yes, no, and it’s complicated. 21.4% of surveyors are in a relationship while 78.6% are single pringles. Luckily, no one seems to be stuck in a situationship as none of the surveyors answered “it’s complicated.”

Now let’s cut the nebulous numbers and get to the real heart of this article: getting deep and unpacking what these OHSers truly think of Saint Valentine’s Birthday. The range of answers to this question may surprise you…

Vinayak (‘29) states, “Why does this exist–people should not be dating or being romantically involved until after college.” Another anonymous student has “no opinion” and the day means “nothing” to them. One junior believes “the day is just there to mock my loneliness”. As someone who does not currently have someone special to celebrate, I can empathize with these students.

To add, Sterling (‘24) thinks “It's a nice holiday, but I think sometimes it can almost suffocate people who aren't celebrating it, making it this almost imposed holiday. I think it should be more of, if you celebrate great! If you don't, also great! I think that way it makes the day more meaningful as a way to spend time with those you love.” An insightful assessment! Every day is what you make of it. Valentine’s Day is no different.

Similarly, Madelynn (27’)  eloquently states, “Valentine's Day is something that can either be exciting or stressful for those who choose to celebrate it, depending on the person and what kind of relationship they're in. However, I currently don't celebrate Valentine's Day or think very much of it.” So far, it seems like the consensus for celebrating Valentine’s Day…is to not!?

Maybe those who are in relationships will be more enamored with celebrating this holiday...

Well, according to Turiya (‘26), “Valentine's Day is a good thing. For me, it's a reminder to spend time with my partner. But ultimately it is a corporate holiday meant to suck money out of well-meaning people and puts down the experience of asexuals and aromantics. I celebrate it as a way of reminding those I love that I love them, but I refuse to participate in buying ridiculously expensive sweets or gifts. I don't think that material objects with no inherent meaning are a good way to express love.” Preach! Connecting and showing people you love them should not have to come with a price tag.

Other students don’t have this infatuation for Valentine’s Day. One student shares, for “Valentine’s Day for me is usually just like any other day.” 

Alas, we do indeed have some students who celebrate with splendid spirit, but with their twist! Aishwarya (‘27) shares that, I don’t think I’ll ever celebrate Valentine’s Day the way it’s meant to be. But I have my own unique way of celebrating it with family and friends! Valentine’s Day is a day of love for my family.” Rebecca (‘25) also thinks of it as “a fun day to celebrate meaningful relationships and eat chocolate.” A tasty agenda in addition to family, friends, and fun? Count me in. 

Dawn (‘27) avers that “Valentine's is a great day to appreciate your friends. I've always celebrated it. It's a day where you can talk about how much you care for another person, or just yourself.” Likewise, another student shares they “think it's great! You can celebrate it without having any romantic connections. I believe it is a day to show your appreciation for someone.” Lexi (‘24) expresses, “I celebrate Valentine’s Day in a way that is not romantic, but in a way that shows my family and friends how much I value their presence in my life.” 

What we can gather from these responses is that quality time with loved ones and friends is important. However, with Valentine’s Day being characterized as a day requiring this love, it can be a distressing pressure. It is important to remember you are loved and there is always someone for everyone. Find time to give and show a little love to those around you. After all, what comes around goes around!

Now let’s delve into the specifics. How do these students celebrate Valentine’s? Well, one Pixel gave a hug to their girlfriend in the library, an extra act of appreciation. Many sent eTulips and eKudos to their friends, digital compliments, and appreciation cards. One student shares how they sometimes send funny messages instead (a great way to brighten someone’s day and bring a smile and maybe even a laugh to their face.) One student answered, “Kind of—I will hand out candy and spend time with my family or friends, usually we’d have a small party expressing gratitude! Food would be chips and other snacks.” One student enjoys candy at their brick-and-mortar school. Anything sweet–physically and figuratively—to me, is the best, even better than receiving a bouquet of borages or a trifle of tulips wrapped with twine. 

Common adaptations of Valentine's Day include Palentines (celebrating with friends) and Galentines (celebrating with your gals). I do a little of both. I made little hearts with messages of appreciation with candy attached to my friends. I made their day, and their smiles made mine. These past few years I have also been able to celebrate Galentines. We all brought heart-shaped food trays, wore pink, watched sappy rom-coms, and enjoyed each other's company. This year, we ate delicious tacos and baked a red velvet cake. To decorate the confection, we used creamy vanilla Pillsbury frosting. Then, we drew a heart with an amateur concoction of red food coloring and leftover frosting to outline a pink heart—perhaps a messy representation of how our love lives can be messy but equally fun and full of love. There are a variety of Valentine's Day activities to do that don’t involve romance and they are all valid.

What we have learned from this survey synopsis goes beyond how to celebrate a specific holiday. It is that showing appreciation for those you love is what counts. Who you spend the day with and commit your energy and time with is what counts. So go write a valentine! Who’s to say you can only do it on the 14th of February?