As the cold weather persists and the months change, February brings along perhaps one of the most loved and hated commercial holidays. Valentine’s Day is celebrated each year on Feb. 14 and couples, friends, and family celebrate it in their own unique ways. Depending on an individual’s personal beliefs, they may love the holiday or may hate it.
In all honesty I have not always been the holiday’s biggest fan. Not for the typical reasons of being upset about not having a Valentine or anything like that, but because of the commercial and capitalistic tendencies that it brings out.
At its core, the holiday has a beautiful sentiment. It is meant to celebrate love and devotion, both ideas that most people would say are high of value. However, many feel that this has been lost on the idea that to show off our love and devotion to others, we must buy gifts or eat expensive meals. Individuals find themselves spending excess amounts of money on this holiday, which is unfortunately something that has happened to many holidays such as Christmas, New Years, and Mother’s or Father’s days.
I suggest we embrace the holiday’s original intention by showing we care for those in our life in unique, inexpensive ways that do not feed into these commercial ideas. This can be done by not spending excess money on this holiday and taking on new sustainable traditions.
One tradition that many follow on this holiday is gift giving. So, this year, instead of giving store bought chocolates and roses, consider making or buying a sweet treat from a local business and buying your flowers from a local florist rather than the supermarket. You can keep your gift cheap by embracing your crafting abilities by making paper flowers or other handmade and thoughtful gifts or even making a customized playlist or CD. These will be even more heartfelt for your valentine to receive as you took the time to create something specifically for them.
Another great option is to shop second-hand. Places like vintage stores and antique malls have a variety of preowned vintage valentines. These are great because sometimes they will even have notes from the person who gave them first, which can spark fun conversation. Of course, you can always handmake a traditional valentine as well.
Another large factor that goes into spending on Valentine’s Day is the date aspect. If you want to go out to dinner, consider going to a locally owned restaurant rather than a chain. Or maybe even consider staying in and making your own dinner! This can be a fun and low-cost date.
Instead of a date, many people will get together to celebrate with friends. They will throw Galentine’s parties where they get together and do festive activities. One way to keep this sustainable is to embrace secondhand decor, host a craft night, or go out and support a small business.
Valentine’s Day can seem a lot more appealing when you focus less on the commercial aspect of it and embrace the original intention to make those around you feel loved. What better way to do this than to create thoughtful gifts, support local businesses, and prioritize spending time together rather than spending money? So, this year, when you make plans for the holiday, consider shifting your perspective and embracing unique and sustainable new traditions.
Nora Lee is a Dakota Student Section Editor. She can be reached at [email protected].
