February. The month of love and romance. Valentine’s Day is celebrated on Feb. 14, a holiday recognizing love. It helps remind us to express our love to one another and appreciate someone special to us. We show our love by giving gifts, flowers, chocolates, and more. In addition, spending time with someone who means a lot to us urges us to give gifts and flowers to them. Valentines is also celebrated in high school by exchanging candy grams, gifts, and spending time with one another. This indicates how love can be shown in many unique ways.
In a survey conducted by The Thunderbolt on the 3rd week of January, there were a total of 64 responses. According to the survey, 54.7% of students would prefer to spend Valentine’s Day with their friends. Galentine’s was introduced on Feb. 11, 2010, through a popular TV series called “Parks and Recreation,” where girls eventually loved the idea of Galentines. Today, Galentine’s is celebrated on the 13th of February as friends gather to celebrate love in a platonic way. Girls celebrate Galentine’s by exchanging gifts, watching movies, painting, and crafting together.
Popular and common gifts on Valentine’s Day include flowers, chocolates, jewelry, and stuffed animals. According to the data collected in the school-wide survey, students were split 50-50 on whether they would prefer chocolates or flowers. People may choose chocolates because they are able to enjoy eating it, while others choose flowers because they are seen as romantic, showing how people have different preferences.
Another statistic collected was the way of love expression people would rather receive. 81.3% of students would rather receive a love letter than a love text. Mitchell Ng (12) explains, “A love text is way easier to do and it can be done faster, that’s the only reason why I would probably prefer the love letter handwritten. You took your time, it’s harder and it really means a lot.” A love letter signifies the thought and effort put in, which is why many students prefer to receive a love letter.
When growing up, your perspective of loving someone may have changed as you experience deeper connections with others. Whether it’s loving your family, friends, or a partner, your perspective of love for them is different. Alice Meng (9) states, “When I was little, my only idea of love was family. But slowly growing up, I found out there is more to it, friendship or a soulmate you would want to spend the rest of your life with.” As we age, our perspective widens and we come to find more understanding of love.
Overall, with the students’ thoughts and mindset on love, Valentine’s Day has many meanings depending on who you spend it with. Love also has many definitions, depending on how you interpret it. We should value all types of love, and be sure to cherish the ones special to you. Valentine’s Day is a day for spending time with people you love, whether it’s romantic, platonic or unconditional love.
