A Different Examination of Valentines Day

It is well known by now that I despise “Hallmark holidays,” especially Valentines Day. This sentimental holiday traces its roots from religious figures, more specifically Saint Valentine (there are 3 of them) within the Catholic Church. The St. Valentine that historians concentrate on, at least in this regard, lived during the 3rd century in Rome. Legend has it that Emperor Claudius II decided that single men were prime military material, so he decreed that young men were not to be married. St. Valentine fought the decree and was incarcerated for his attempts to thwart the emperor by still performing marriages for young couples. It was during his prison term that he fell in love with a young woman (his jailor’s daughter) and sent her the first ‘valentine’ in the form of letter, as he signed it, “from your valentine.”

The actual commemoration of the day takes place on February 14th because St. Valentine was eventually executed for his deeds on February 14, 270. Americans literally took the holiday to heart 1500 years later, as home made Valentines were exchanged around 1700. Valentine’s Day became an official commercial holiday in the 1840’s with the mass production of greeting cards. Is it not ironic that we celebrate our “love” for a significant other based on a day that saw a man’s slaughter? Needless to say, Hallmark and other corporate entities have firmly embraced the art of selling chocolate to selling “cute” teddy bears (which have their roots with President Teddy Roosevelt) to help satisfy American’s urge to satisfy “that special someone.”

I took the liberty of reviewing some demographic numbers in concern to Valentines Day from the US Census Bureau and I must say I am now fully aware of why people spend the way they do. For instance, those who fall in the age group of 20-29 are more apt to purchase a gift for someone simply because these are the prime years in which we seek a mate. There are 118 single men for every 100 single women, which spells for mass squandering of capital in order to secure mate. Never mind the principle behind it (which I disagree with), it is all about seeing how low we will go to find someone (which probably leads to our colossal divorce rates). On the Brightside, if you are male and have not found love by the time you are 65, there are 33 single men for every 100 single women (Viagra sales).

So what kind of sales do retailers typically do on the days leading up to Valentines Day? Over 60% of American consumers participate in the holiday and on average spend over $100 each. Last year, over $13.7 billion was spent, with these figures bound to exceed that number this year. Oddly enough, you can say that Valentines Day is a “chick holiday” with the average male planning to spend around $135 and the average female planning to spend just $68. Where do the majority of these funds go to? The greeting card industry of course! 68% of consumers usually purchase a greeting card, with candy in second, and an evening out in a close third. What does all of this mean? For one it means go into the greeting card business. Secondly, it shows how materialistic our society is. Praise the lord I am single, as my valentine to myself this year are tires; practical and inexpensive.