Happy Valentine's Day, or as some have affectionately called it, Happy Single Awareness Day. Valentine's Day is not merely a day where sweethearts canoodle and express various levels of romantic affection via Hallmark and Kay Jewelers, it is a sacred day where those people not in relationships can celebrate or mourn their single status.



Let me illustrate both sides of this:

You can mourn because you're alone on a holiday that celebrates being romantically entangled, or you can celebrate the half off all chocolate everywhere on February 15th.

You can cry because your parents/aunts/uncles/hairdresser/neighbors keep asking when you'll find a nice person to settle down with while eying you like cantaloupe that's about to go bad, or you can celebrate that you didn't have to call the restaurant a minimum of six weeks in advance for a two-person table crammed between an infinite number of other two-person tables for a "romantic" and "intimate" dinner.

You can wallow in misery and Two-Buck Chuck about having no other company than your cat, Netflix and some questionable Chinese leftovers, or you can rejoice at not having to shell out hundreds of dollars on jewelry, dinner, wine, flowers, chocolates and the extensive couples counseling that will inevitably follow this aneurysm-inducing holiday.

Personally, I will be spending Valentine's Day with my cat, some booze, and the latest Liam Neeson movie in celebration of a Valentineless Valentine's Day.



But don't get me wrong. I believe in the romance of Valentine's Day that is so often masked by the materialistic aspects this day is known for. I believe in the celebration and expression of love, whether by jewelry that causes you to take out a second mortgage on your house or a simple, hand-written note. So I hope, while I cuddle up with my feline Valentine and immerse myself in action movies, that you will all have the best Valentine's Day you can, however you choose to celebrate it, and whomever your Valentine might be.