Every year on Feb. 14, people around the world profess their feelings to their significant others through overpriced gifts, sappy love notes, and flowers that will die within a week. Nothing says “I love you” like dead vegetation and fat-saturated sugary products. Valentine’s Day is a waste of time and there shouldn’t be a specific day of the year that we show affection and love towards each other, but rather we should dedicate every day to loving those who are important to us.

One of the downfalls of this holiday is that people buy gifts they cannot afford and wouldn’t otherwise consider buying. During the Valentine season, many businesses raise their prices because the common consumer is too distracted by nearly forgetting the gift that they don’t notice the price gouging. Buying gifts becomes a nuisance to many, since it’s always put off until the last minute. Rather than finding that perfect, meaningful gift, those in relationships are simply focused on the fulfilling the holiday requirement.

Valentine’s Day is considered the most hectic day of the year for the romance “game.” Most of the responsibility is placed onto the guy in the relationship. Some of the burdens include setting up a romantic date or buying gifts that proclaim love. Despite this, the woman is most commonly expected to receive and not give on this “couples” holiday.  More proposals and promised relationships arise in the days leading up to Valentine’s Day only to satisfy common expectations among couples for this day of love.

Even being in a relationship on this day can cause stress and anxiety for many people. It’s not that we don’t want to buy our partner gifts, it’s that people are constantly asking us, “What did you get your ‘other half’ this year?” A relationship should be private; with the holiday season, it creates a feeling of responsibility to buy your partner gifts and be willingly respond to such questions, so you answer them even if you haven’t bought the gift or aren’t comfortable with the situation.

We all know that being alone on Valentine’s Day can be dreadful, or at least that’s how society says we should feel. In fact, single people around the world have created their own holiday that is completely against the holiday of love. Common names of this holiday include Singles Awareness Day and Anti-Valentine’s Day. Valentine’s Day is just another reminder to singles that they are alone. Just in case you weren’t already aware of the single-status hanging over your head, here’s a national holiday to remind you!

Although Valentine’s Day can be viewed as cliché, forced, and overly sentimental, there is a bright side: the majority of stores over-stock for the holiday, so many items go on sale after the season. This can provide forward-thinking people with a value for the next year, which could potentially be disastrous if they neglect to consider the expiration of either the chocolates or their relationship.