Whether students are in a relationship or single, Valentine’s Day is not as important as it used to be. The idea of this day being all about commercialism and Hallmark cards has turned students away from this once special day.

Ziqi Zhang, senior pre-accounting major, said he likes to keep it simple on Valentine’s Day. In the past, Zhang has celebrated this day with a box of chocolates and a dinner date. He even suggested taking a girl to the movies, but nothing extraordinary.

“If you find the right person who you fall in love with, you celebrate Valentine’s Day every day of the year,” Zhang said.

One couple on campus decided to celebrate but keep the day low key. Steve Larson, junior Spanish major, and Lacey Smalldon, freshman public health major, are not making any solid plans yet.

“Having expectations sometimes leads to disappointment,” Larson said.

Smalldon and Larson said planning isn’t “authentic” and takes away from the fun. They said buying a bunch of gifts for each other doesn’t show love. The important thing is spending time together.

Mark McKenna, senior justice studies major, said it’s better to show love for someone spontaneously. It becomes too expected and doesn’t mean as much. Even if he were in a relationship, McKenna still would not celebrate Valentine’s Day.

Some students don’t even want a card for Valentine’s Day. Ana Belen Villalobos, junior sociology major, said cards are a complete waste of money.

Villalobos said she’d prefer someone just write something on her wall on Facebook. She said she feels there’s no need to spend $5 on a card and that it’s a waste of money and paper. For $5, Villalobos said she’d prefer for someone to buy her five songs in iTunes.

“It makes you feel like crap all day because you don’t want to celebrate it,” Villalobos said. “It puts so much pressure on people to celebrate it and the ‘perfect gift.’”

Valentine’s Day is not just about a significant other. There are cards and candies for every relative. Mother’s Day is for showing how much people appreciate them. Why do people need to buy a Mother’s day card?

“This holiday overplays with consumerism,” McKenna said.

Contact Rachel Hagenbaugh at [email protected].