Valentine’s Day is one of the most interesting American holidays and the origin and backstory of the day is equally as interesting. However, there are some that want to argue that Valentine’s Day is not a real holiday. While I agree that Valentine’s Day may not be on the same level as holidays like The Fourth of July or Christmas, I believe that it still deserves the holiday status and should be celebrated like a real holiday. In this article I will debunk the three top arguments for why Valentine’s Day should not be celebrated.

The first argument that holiday haters use to discredit Valentine’s Day is that it is not a real holiday. To that I would say there are no holidays that have always existed. All holidays were created by people or for people. The Fourth of July wasn’t regularly celebrated until 1777.  Thanksgiving wasn’t a holiday until Abraham Lincoln proclaimed it as such in 1863.  Mother’s and Father’s days weren’t celebrated until the 20th Century.  The same is the case with Valentine’s Day. Valentine’s Day was named after St. Valentine, who was a 3rd century Christian that was persecuted for his faith and ended up being executed.  His feast day has been observed and associated with expressions of love every February 14 since 496 AD.  If Valentine’s Day isn’t a holiday by this point, how can we explain all the hemming and hawing that goes into other beloved celebrations that Valentine’s Day precedes by over a millennium?  There is simply no basis to the claim that this holiday was “invented,” and therefore invalid.

A second argument Valentines critics make is claiming that one specific day to show love is not needed, and that love should be shown every day. I believe the individuals that make this argument are missing the point. Valentine’s Day is supposed to be a reminder of the love that you share for another person either being a significant other or a friend.  It may be corny, but sometimes the corny things are the things we love the most.  Nobody really likes knock knock jokes, but if someone is excited to tell you a joke, you're going to listen, laugh, and, if you have a soul, feel grateful that the person wanted to tell you that joke in the first place.  If you're being crabby about someone buying into the corniness of celebrating love on Valentine's Day, you might want to reverse your stance before the black hole that was once your heart spaghettifies you into oblivion.  It’s not just about buying a discount box of chocolate and flowers, but reminding those you care about that you love them and are grateful for them.     

A third and final argument Valentine unbelievers make is that they think Valentine’s Day should not be celebrated due to its connections with pagan festivals of ancient Rome. Although I understand why this would be concerning to some people, the critics fail to realize that Valentine’s Day has evolved over the years and is no longer even remotely tied to these pagan festivals of old. If your objection to Valentine’s Day is based on its early pagan connections, you better be ready to ditch other holidays like Christmas, whose placement on the calendar is not-so-coincidentally placed when Romans celebrated their sun god.  The modern Valentine’s Day holiday is a day to be thankful for the love you share with another person and showing this person that love, not to make nit-picky points about the holiday’s origins in a time and place nobody can claim to fully understand.  

I believe Valentine’s Day is very much a holiday and should be celebrated as one. Three arguments that people make against Valentine’s Day can be easily disproved. Everyone should enjoy this holiday and use it as a way to show someone special that you care for them.