Valentine’s Day in Different Ways

Not all students celebrated the day traditionally.

Reported by Brodey Hutton

alentine’s Day is often celebrated by showing love and affection to a significant other or someone who they care about. But what about the people who currently aren’t in a relationship? How do they spend their Valentine’s Day and how does it compare to people who spend the day with a significant other or a group of friends?

“I think having a relationship is important so that you can have someone to support you and be your biggest fan, and you be yours,” senior Victoria Bartlett said.

Valentine’s Day, as it is currently celebrated, has occurred since the 14th Century with the holiday gaining traction in North America during the 18th Century. However, it took until the 1840s for valentines to be mass produced and sold like they are today.

“Some pros of being in a relationship are that you have someone who gets you and is able to connect with you and love you,” Bartlett said. “However, I would say a con of being in a relationship would be that you’re probably not as independent as you would be if you’re single.”

According to a poll sent out by The Bell, nine out of 20 responses said that they would be spending this Valentine’s Day with a significant other while the other 11 responses said that they would spend the day with friends instead.

“This Valentine’s Day, I hope to be able to spend time with friends and definitely my family,” freshman Rayne Chapman said. “We usually have a meal together with the whole family, decorate the house the day before and have a delicious breakfast at the table together.”

Social worker Beth Schroeder said the biggest benefits of being around friends can be that they positively reinforce the best aspects about yourself but it takes the right group of friends to achieve this. However, Schroeder cautions against spending too much time with people who are not their authentic self and do not truly value their friendship.

“We know that people need communication or social experience,” Schroeder said. “Whether that be on a video game or having an in-person conversation with someone, we know this is important to us developing a real sense of self-love and self-value.”

Schroeder said although time alone is needed in order for the mind to process things, people still need something tangible to think about. She said that too much time alone can lead to an influx of negative thoughts about one’s character and identity. For this Valentine’s Day, maybe think about spending the day with friends or family, if there isn’t a significant other to spend the day with, and remember to take some time out of the day for yourself.