And so a time of year that many hopeless romantics and romance hopefuls look forward to all year comes to an end.
Meanwhile, others are glad it’s over and that they can move on with their lives without having to deal with this dreadful “holiday” for another year.
It’s been said before, but the lesson has obviously not been learned. Feb. 14, although it has some sort of special significance to us, is a day like any other in the year. We shouldn’t get so flustered over it.
Don’t get me wrong, I love Valentine’s Day, but for the same reason I hate it. While it does give people the opportunity to express their emotions with those they otherwise would not have had the courage to do so, this is the only time some people see fit to try to be decent human beings.
I see it happen with Mother’s Day, Christmas and even Easter, but this one bothers me especially.
Maybe I’m asking for too much, but I like to be appreciated on some of the remaining 364 days of the year, too.
Valentine’s Day has its history rooted in the Roman holiday Lupercalia, but it certainly has become a lucrative and profitable business with time.
After mass production made it possible to produce large quantities of greeting cards and chocolates, it has been a constant source of income for these industries every year.
According to the Greeting Card Association, an estimated 1 billion Valentine’s Day cards are sent each year, making it the second largest card-sending holiday of the year.
And aren’t sickeningly sweet morsels and trite cliches spewed across cardstock what love is really all about?
Every year people make a fuss about finding the perfect gift.
So what is the right present for your significant other? Flowers? Chocolates? Teddy bears? For starters, there is no perfect present. But as someone who has seen her fair share of cheesy and impersonal presents throughout the years, honestly, the best ones are the least expected.
For future reference, try giving your special someone something few others would know they truly love or enjoy by showing that you really listen and care. And the best gifts are those involving inside jokes or reminders of what you have shared or memories you wish to create.
All of the generic Valentine’s Day presents are popular for a reason and will impress anyone just by merely showing that you thought of them, but they will only go so far.
Flowers die, chocolates get eaten, and teddy bears collect dust.
But the golf balls you stole when you played putt-putt on your first date hold memories of that first kiss. A welcome mat to put on the front door of your first apartment together is a symbol of a future you would like to create together.
There is no perfect present, but if the person is, the gift will be regardless.
Here’s to hoping you all had a great weekend, regardless of any affiliation with a lucratively construed holiday.
If it didn’t turn out the way you planned, do not fret.
You have an entire year to give people presents and tell them exactly how you feel about them.
After all, we are college students on budgets, and all heart shaped candy went on sale Sunday.
Sol Angel Canal is a UF English junior. Her column appears on Mondays.
[A version of this story ran on page 6 on 2/16/2015 under the headline “Valentine’s Day is over; let’s move on"]
