Every year on Feb. 14, single people nationwide mourn their single-ness by having sad single drinks at sad single bars with other sad single people, just waiting for the next day when all the crappy milk chocolate streaked through with a mysterious stripe of pink go on sale at the grocery store.

Conversely, couples that have been together for years and couples that have just started dating two weeks ago alike lose hair to the stressing over the perfect Valentine’s Day date. They agonize over every detail — the roses, the reservations and the romance of it all, building up their anticipation of an event that can never live up to expectations.  

As someone with quite a few Valentine’s Days under my belt, spent both single and in relationships of various stages, let me tell you: it is just not that serious.

Don’t get me wrong — dedicating a day to celebrate those that you love is important! However, it’s not worth all the stress that gets put into it. 

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According to Fortunly, Americans spent about $20.7 billion on Valentine’s Day last year, and more than 135 million Americans went shopping for Valentine’s Day in that same year. We are spending astronomical amounts of money to create a day that almost never meets expectations anyway. 

Think about a time you realized you loved someone, whether it was your best friend or your partner. Likely, it was something about them that made you love them, not some grand gesture. 

Valentine’s Day shouldn’t be about making elaborate plans. It should be about buying someone their favorite flowers because you remembered them talking about how much they loved yellow roses or taking your date to your favorite fancy restaurant for dinner because you both love an excuse to dress up. 

Even if you’re single, there’s still so much to celebrate! I guarantee there are people around you who you love, and the creation of Galentine’s Day means that you can dress up in your favorite mini skirts (or sweatshirts) and absolutely gorge yourself on strawberries and champagne with your friends with absolutely no judgment. 

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And the decorations! As a woman whose limited possessions are, for the most part, all different shades of pink, I love the excuse to dress up in my favorite colors and buy measuring cups from the Target Dollar Spot when I don’t even have access to a kitchen just because they’re pink and heart-shaped.

The bottom line is, there’s a lot to celebrate on Feb. 14. Valentine’s Day isn’t just about romantic love. Take the day to eat ridiculous candy with your friends, spoil your pets and wear the ugly pink socks your grandma sent you in that care package. 

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Mandy (she/her) is a senior studying journalism and public relations. She spends her free time shopping, writing and hanging with friends.