Jessai Flores
Who knows how to celebrate Valentine’s Day the best? Is it a college couple, just two weeks into their relationship and excited at the prospect of what the future holds? Or is it a perfect marriage, commemorating a union of 30 years and, therefore, 30 Valentine’s Days together? In my opinion, it’s neither.
To celebrate Valentine’s Day like a pro, look no further than your past self. Specifically, your third grade self (or somewhere around that time frame).
Don’t believe me? Let’s take a quick trip down memory lane.
In elementary school, I always looked forward to Valentine’s Day. Every year, without fail, my class would throw a spectacular party, complete with festive treats and activities. But for me, the most exciting part of the celebration was passing out valentines to my classmates — and, perhaps, receiving them, too. Creating valentines with personalized messages and some sort of sugary delicacy was a fun way for me to display my affection for my friends.
Another exciting part of the holiday was decorating a Valentine’s box. Everyone in my class would come to school with an old shoe box that they refurbished into a receptacle for receiving little notes and sweet treats. Some were decorated with drawings and others with stickers, each reflecting our personalities and interests. If you were anything like me, though, you liked to go all out. One year, I put a mini basketball hoop on my box, while another year I constructed a slide — yes, I was that kid. But I had so much fun with it!
The boxes would sit on our desks, and everyone would go around passing out cards and candy to each other. And, if someone was brave enough, maybe they’d walk up to their crush’s desk, valentine in hand, give it to them personally rather than simply dropping it inside their shoe box and ask if they would be their valentine. No inhibitions, no regrets, they’d be like the Nike slogan and “just do it.”
Even if that wasn’t you — it wasn’t me either — there was still no pressure to have a special someone to share the holiday with; I’d just share the day with everyone! Some years I’d get my nails done with my mom, while others I’d go for pizza and a movie after school with friends. Either way, I just enjoyed having an excuse to celebrate or do an activity that I wouldn’t ordinarily do on any other day.
Where have those Valentine’s Days gone? February 14th was one of my favorite days growing up. Positioned perfectly between my school’s winter and spring breaks, it was just the little burst of warmth my heart needed to get me through the dreary winter months. It was just another day in the year to look forward to — to celebrate, to eat candy, to do fun activities. But now? This day is merely the halfway point through February and a reminder that I still have half of the month left to go.
At this stage in my life, Valentine’s Day seems to have become exclusively reserved for couples. But whether you’re in a relationship or not, the holiday is all about love, so I encourage you to celebrate it by spending time with your favorite people and showing them that you care about them. Go out to dinner with friends, bring your suitemates some chocolate, send a card to someone or call your family members to check in and see how they’re doing.
If you’re yearning to have the best Valentine’s Day this year, then I suggest celebrating it like your third grade self.