In today’s world, Valentine’s Day is deemed the most superficial holiday of them all. A typical cynic would summarize Valentine’s Day as a day of chocolates and roses created by Hallmark. The most painful 24 hours for all of the singles in America and the most romantic for any couple, Valentine’s Day is A-OK in my book.

In elementary school, my teacher would help us make little mailboxes to hold all of our Valentine’s Day cards we received from our classmates. We would decorate old shoeboxes in pink and red construction paper and at the end of the day we would open up our boxes to find heaps of heart lollipops and Fun Dip. Instantly, I was hooked.

In my head I had rationalized that Valentine’s Day was a much smaller version of Halloween. I loved candy and any excuse to have a party in school instead of doing real work.

I guess the feeling stuck and now 15 years later I am still a fan of the over-commercialized day. Single or taken, every Feb. 14, I look forward to celebrating my love with my closest family and friends.

It seems as though Valentine’s Day is held to these impossible standards of romance nowadays. However I’ve come to the realization that the day is more than just chocolate-covered strawberries. Valentine’s Day is a time to express your love to anyone who is close to you in your life.

Maybe we aren’t making shoebox mailboxes and homemade cards anymore, but it is still nice to take a day out of our busy schedules and relax with those you love. Valentine’s Day is a subtle reminder to take the time out of our busy schedules and tell those around us how we feel.

So for all of the cynics out there, chill with your anti-Valentine’s Day attitude and remember this: Valentine’s Day is but once a year and is more than just time to lay in the bathtub with a box of Lindt chocolates. If nothing else, it awards us with discount chocolates and champagne the next day.