Finn Brown

English teacher Victoria Flaherty contemplates the true meaning of Valentine’s Day as the celebration approaches.

Valentine’s Day is approaching, and love it or hate it, you’re sure to see red hearts and candy wherever you go. The real question is, is it overrated? Characterized as more of a “Hallmark holiday,” Valentine’s Day tends to lose its importance when you’re either lonesomely single or don’t think of it as a true celebration. To find out what this holiday means to both sides of the coin, I asked some interesting questions to those finding themselves in and out of relationships facing the upcoming celebration. 

To see what married people think about Valentine’s Day, I approached English teacher Victoria Flaherty, a mother of two who is happily married to her husband. I raised the basic question of, “Is Valentine’s Day overrated?” Her response was, “I think it can be. I do celebrate Valentine’s Day, but I celebrate it like with my kids, mostly because I also know that Valentine’s Day can grow to mean a lot.”

Flaherty sees Valentine’s Day as another reason to spend time with family and do fun things for the sake of it being a holiday to celebrate. “Our first Valentine’s Day, we tried to do something about it, but we very quickly realized that presents or gifts or things like that are not really how we do things,” she added. Her take is one that remains family-focused and doesn’t require participating in many of the material stereotypes that the holiday has.

A different, younger view comes from Hollis Brookline High School (HBHS) senior Colin Magnuszewski, an 18-year-old boy in a committed relationship, about to experience his first Valentine’s Day with his girlfriend. “I think Valentine’s Day is just a perfect opportunity to celebrate the people you care about and really show them you know how much you care about them,” he said.

Magnuszewski doesn’t think the holiday is overrated, but rather a day to show love and kindness through gift giving. “Oh my god, it feels amazing. I just love the satisfaction, or just, I love the happiness I feel when I see the person I’m buying gifts for, smile and be happy about what I got for them,” he explained. 

When asked if he thought the holiday was gender-specific, Magnuszewski disagreed. “I think if you’re into it, you’re into it, you know, I think both sides can appreciate it,” which is a pretty good take from a teenage boy. 

To see the single perspective, I interviewed HBHS senior Noah Taylor, another 18-year-old boy but one who is enjoying the idea of Valentine’s Day without a girlfriend. “It’s just like, I just don’t care,” he said. 

Taylor is pretty laid-back about the holiday in general, not giving it much thought as most singles do. While Taylor does feel as though it would be more exciting with a girl to appreciate, he also sees downsides to the holiday. “I would be upset that I had to spend money on her,” he added.

Valentine’s Day is really all about what you make it, whether that means spending time with loved ones and family, watching TV at home or going out on a nice date with your significant other. It’s a holiday to appreciate and love one another, however you want to express it.