All right, single ladies. It’s February 12, and we all know what that means … Valentine’s Day is rapidly approaching, and there’s absolutely nothing we can do about it. Since before Christmas was even over, stores have been building love shrines and preparing for the “most romantic” day of the year. I walk into a store and am basically assaulted by pink hearts, candy and teddy bears that are holding, you guessed it, pink hearts, candy and smaller teddy bears. It looks like Cupid waged a war against humanity and ended up on top. And it’s not just shopping centers! There’s an online version of the attack as well! Between mushy social media posts about engagement after engagement and emails from random companies telling me what I need to buy “the love of my life” this year, I’m seriously considering throwing my computer out the window.
At this point in the year, college students, and, I’ll admit, I’m talking mostly about the girls here, can usually be broken down into two groups of people. First, you have the relationship-y people who are expecting the perfect Valentine’s Day date and are trying to coordinate their pink outfit to match their even pinker fingernail polish. These are typically the people who send heart-eyed emojis and kissy faces on a daily basis. Then, you have the singles. These people are desperately attempting to ignore the fact that Valentine’s Day exists at all, probably have to try really hard to not roll their eyes when they hear about lovey-dovey V-Day plans, and are patiently waiting for the annual Day After Valentine’s Day Chocolate Sale. As you might have guessed from my sarcasm, I belong to the second group, and most of my friends do as well. We have united in our singleness and are refusing to let Cupid win. My suitemate even went as far as to write “The Day That Shall Not Be Named” on our calendar on February 14.
Now, you might at this point think I have a rock where my heart is supposed to be, that I’m bitter that I’m single, or I don’t believe in love. Actually though, none of those things are true. I’ve been in love before, and I know at some point I will be again. I’m OK with being single for the time being. I believe that my “Prince Charming” is still coming … although I’m pretty sure he’s riding a turtle instead of a white horse. So, see? I do have a heart, and I don’t hate love.
Despite that, I don’t think there’s much debate that being single on Valentine’s Day can suck, if you let it. It can be hard watching your friends get ready to go on cute dates with their guys and knowing that the only date you’ll be having is with your Netflix account and stuffed giraffe. Here’s the good news, though: it doesn’t have to be this way! This year, I’ve decided I’m not going to let Valentine’s Day suck. There are tons of ways to make Valentine’s Day awesome, even as a single girl. There’s always the Galentine’s Day tactic where girls sit around in PJs all day eating ice cream and watching rom-coms. This is definitely an option, and my roommates and I do that WAY too much. But I’m not feeling that for Valentine’s Day this year. It seems too stereotypical.
This year, grab a group of your best friends, guys included, and do something really fun. Call it Alternative Valentine’s Day.
- Play laser tag
- Go mudding in a pickup truck
- Have a horror movie marathon
- Go line dancing
- Take an archery class
- Go roller-skating
The possibilities are endless. Single girls….. It’s time to break out of the box and defy the clichés that have begun to define Valentine’s Day. Don’t cave in and feel sorry yourself just because you’re single! Valentine’s Day isn’t all about the flower deliveries and romantic dinners. It’s about love. So instead of burying yourself under a pile of blankets and eating an entire box of donuts, go out and enjoy the day with the people you love most! It can be tough to be single, but any one of these ideas will make Valentine’s Day as a single suck a whole lot less. And hey… If it doesn’t quite work for you, there’s always the guaranteed promise of that half-price chocolate on February 15.
