The thought of Feb. 14 makes me nauseous. I hate how chocolate at every grocery store suddenly becomes overpriced and everyone feels the need to have affection from others. You do not need an elaborate bouquet of flowers, a fancy dinner reservation or a life-size teddy bear to know that someone in your life loves you. If I had a boyfriend, I wouldn’t expect anything grand. One thing I’ve learned about myself is that I am pretty easy to please. I like the idea of treating Valentine’s Day like any other day.

In grade school, it was always a pointless competition of who would bring the best candy and receive the most paper valentines. To make sure no one felt left out, it became required that kids bring enough valentines for the whole class, or we would not be allowed to distribute them. We are raised to think the holiday is romantic, a day where love can be displayed. But shouldn’t we teach that love should be celebrated every day of the year?

If this isn’t enough for me to dread Valentine’s Day, I had to put my 11-year-old dog named Ginger down on Feb. 14 last year, meaning this day will always be a reminder of her for me. I grew up with her, and her loyalty made me fall absolutely in love with her presence. She was the best dog I have ever had. So naturally, it’s pretty awful she had to be taken away from me on the “day of love.”

Furthermore, the holiday makes people who aren’t in relationships feel incredibly lonely, and those who are in a relationship feel pressured to make monumental plans. No one wants to answer “Nothing” when someone asks, “So, what are YOU doing for Valentine’s Day?” Media has guilted us into following the ritual of buying expensive jewelry and sending Edible Arrangements to be considered romantic. Those kinds of universal, generic gifts mean nothing to me.

Valentine’s Day was essentially just created to deplete people’s lively spirits and to eat up all the money spent on meaningless gifts. Last year, the average Valentine’s Day shopper spent around $136 on holiday merchandise or services, according to USA Today. I find that  a waste of money. Trust me, if someone REALLY loves you they don’t need a pricey bundle of wrapped roses to know it. 

Instead, use your words to say “I love you.”