Barely two months in, and 2025 is already shaping up to be quite the year. Coming off the heels of a destabilizing presidential election and rapidly-changing political environment, Valentine’s Day could easily feel moot and gauche. How do we celebrate a lighthearted day of love when global democracy is faltering, people are dying in wars across the world and families in America are being ripped apart and forced to live in fear?
I don’t have a good answer for you. When faced with the weight of current events, it is difficult to muster the will to celebrate what some consider a cliché “greeting card” holiday. When children die and people starve, celebrating Valentine’s Day with flowers and chocolate understandably seems trite.
In the spirit of full disclosure, Valentine’s Day is my favorite holiday. My love for Valentine’s Day has been so consistently strong that I wrote an opinion piece about it last year, focusing on the inclusivity and unity it represents. I see Valentine’s Day as a time to celebrate the love and gratitude we have for the people in our lives, to embrace the joy that comes from being alive.
But when we are faced with the weight of grief and loss or fear and anxiety, there is little room for other feelings. When pain is breathtaking, it drowns everything else out, and trying to focus on the positive may seem like a betrayal to all that we have lost. Sadness and stress also bring anger towards other people and the world.
Yet life keeps moving. The world spins, the sun rises and sets, seasons change and we are brought once more to Feb. 14. All around us, love endures. To me, this is the pinnacle of what Valentine’s Day represents. Someone asked me recently what I actually do to celebrate Valentine’s Day, and I realized that while every year looks different, my mindset remains the same. I choose to use Valentine’s Day to remind people that I love them, and to take stock of all the things in my life that bring me joy, even in the face of everything wrong with the world. Valentine’s Day is worth celebrating, not in spite of the bad things that happen every day but because of them.
Valentine’s Day is wonderful, but it’s also okay to not feel like doing anything particularly extravagant. Even spending a few moments focusing on the people you love and have loved is enough of a celebration. It’s not about the size of the party you throw or the cost of the chocolates you receive. It is my favorite holiday because of all it symbolizes, especially the consistency and perseverance of love through the trials and tribulations of life. I see observing Valentine’s Day as a purposeful choice, and one I encourage you to make.
