Valentine’s Day: a holiday made to indirectly (and directly) shame every single and depressingly alone person into feeling more seasonal depression than they already do.
Just kidding.
February 14th is a day to celebrate all the love in our lives…it is a day to recognize those we love and all the reasons we love them. The celebrations are not reserved for couples; it’s about parents and their children, siblings, friends, teammates: the people in our lives who make our days better.
Junior Lucas Freshwater said, “Freshman year, I gave Mrs. Sandorf six roses, and then sophomore year I bought six for the G.O.A.T., Mrs. Shouse. And for this year, I bought the amazing and iconic Señora a rose.”
As the Prime Minister from Love, Actually iconically says, “If you look for it, I’ve got a sneaky feeling you’ll find that love actually is all around.” I couldn’t agree more with this sentiment, which has only been strengthened by my time selling roses for the Spanish club. It is not just couples who come to buy roses from us, it’s friends, family members, and teachers buying roses and bracelets for those they love.
“I feel great. It makes someone’s day! It’s a token of love,” said Freshwater.
Seeing the look on people’s faces when you hand them a rose is so special because they recognize that someone loves them enough to think of them and buy them a flower.
“I’m not sad that I didn’t get a rose from the sale because my kitchen table is already filled with two bouquets from Liam,” said junior Sofia Barnes about her boyfriend, junior Liam Avon.
Okay, well, he just single-handedly outdid all of our single rose sales. Anyway!
“The best part of the rose sale was feeling like I was a part of something. The worst part was the online days that pushed sales back,” said senior Aedan Smith.
I can’t help but agree, as the F.I.W. (Flexible Instruction Week) took an entire week away from rose sales. Other clubs faced similar challenges, especially the student council with Snowball tickets.
Regardless, the clubs pushed through, and everything has worked out in the end! The rose sale sold very well, and Snowball was a blast.
How Valentine’s Day went, however, is left up to you.
“It’s overrated. You should love your significant other every day the same,” said Freshwater.
He makes a good point: showing your love shouldn’t be reserved for just one day out of the year. If you want to know more about this eligible bachelor, be sure to look out for a new addition of Single & Ready to Mingle featuring Freshwater!
“I highly recommend that you find someone who can be your best friend, but also your boyfriend. I love Valentine’s Day because I love the vibe, everything pink, love in the air; it just makes me very happy,” said Barnes.
Even if you don’t have a significant other, there are still good parts to the holiday!
“I enjoy it, there’s a lot of candy for cheap,” said Smith.
Smith also makes a good point. Last year, I can remember my mom running to Dollar General for something she needed and coming home with clearance Valentine’s candy after the holiday was over.
“Besides getting to spend time with my boyfriend, my favorite things are flowers and eating good food. The bad thing is how hard it is to get a reservation, especially when my boyfriend always has basketball on Saturdays,” said Barnes.
Celebrating love is especially important this year, I think, because our country and world have been so divided by hate and polarized by our opinions. This Valentine’s Day, I hope you celebrated those you love and that you continue to recognize the importance of treating others with love. We all deserve it, whether you buy them an entire bouquet of roses or you simply hold the door for someone.
“For love, I use the R.O.T. method: Rich, Old, Trust Fund,” said Freshwater.
