Valentine’s Day: love is in the air, flowers and chocolate are in hand, and PDA is all around. Gracing us with its presence every February, Valentine’s Day is a holiday designed to celebrate love and affection. While some people love the love-filled holiday, others feel they could do without it. Our Dubs are divided on this day with the affection of some students inducing the disgust of others.  

At the end of the day, who doesn’t love love? An entire day dedicated solely to love is even better… right? Our lovestruck Dubs use V-Day as an opportunity to show their love and affection to others. Sweet, right? Giving gifts, wearing red and pink, and sharing love, all make for a wonderful day. “I love Valentine’s Day. It is such a cute, happy day with all the red and pink,” said junior Virginia Odom. “It is a day full of love, and I think everyone should be reminded of who loves them– and doesn’t even have to be a significant other. For example, my dad organizes Valentine’s Day gifts and activities for my sister and me.”

Alternatively, sometimes you just can’t help but roll your eyes at all the festivities. Why have one specific day each year where people feel forced to commit acts of affection they never normally would? Why not just surprise the person you love with flowers on a random Thursday–instead of on the 14th–to really show that you are thinking of them? The holiday, like any other, has become so commercialized in recent years that it has somewhat lost its original sentimentality. “Personally, I’m not a fan of Valentine’s Day. It’s a little bit too lovey-dovey for me,” said junior Caroline Edwards. “I think that you should show your love for others every day, not just on Valentine’s Day.”

Whether you hate it, or you love it, Valentine’s Day is here to stay. Celebrated with boyfriends, girlfriends, friends, or family, Valentine’s Day should get away from all the commercialized stuff and instead return to its roots: spreading love to the people around you. And while it’s 348 days until the next V-Day, the Warrior Wire already knows who has our heart: the readers. Happy Late Valentine’s Day, Dubs!