The Grinch Who Stole Valentine’s Day

Whether or not you have someone to spend it with, Valentine’s Day and its accompanying culture has likely manifested itself into your life in one way or another. With the spirit of appreciation in the air, an abundance of cheesy rom-coms, and discounted chocolates on February fifteenth, this Hallmark holiday truly has something to offer for everyone—especially corporations.

Modern Valentine’s Day has been manipulated by companies in recent decades (and no, not to summon chivalry from its grave to solve the world’s relationship problems). To these businesses, Valentine’s Day is the perfect way to boost sales by advertising their products as heart-shaped, pink and red “love potions.” The thirty-six million boxes of chocolate and 151 million cards sold every February show that corporations have successfully manipulated shoppers to believe that buying tacky gifts is the best way to demonstrate their appreciation.

Pre-Covid, the tradition of Valentine’s Day gift-giving was often extended into classrooms, platonic and familial relationships.

This year has presented far fewer opportunities to physically branch out to peers and extended family members than previous years. As a result, this Valentine’s Day, Americans spent a total of 21.8 billion dollars. While this figure is nothing short of astounding, this amount shows a decrease compared to last year’s 27.4 billion dollars. Covid-19 has called for a more limited celebration, resulting in less excessive gift buying.

Although Covid restricts the ability to express appreciation towards relationships, there has never been a better time to let the people in your life know that you are thinking of them. A simple text message, FaceTime call, or song recommendation can help to remind someone that they are not alone during this horribly hectic, lonely time. Seeing February fourteenth as a reminder to communicate gratitude to those in your life is more powerful than the habit of giving mindless gifts, encouraged by corporations seeking to capitalize. Valentine's Day is not about the items that you buy, but about the feelings that you spread.