When I ask my friends what the best holiday is, I am typically met with the typical Christmas and Halloween responses. Every once in a while, I will hear about Thanksgiving or Easter as well. 

I disagree, I am a firm believer that Valentine’s Day is the best holiday out of them all. 

The holiday, named after the mysterious St. Valentine, could have two possible reasons why he was sainted in the Catholic Church, and why the holiday was named after him, according to the History Channel. 

Reason One: After Emperor Claudius II of Rome outlawed marriage for young men when he realized it would make them better soldiers, Valentine (a priest at the time) would perform marriages in secret for young lovers and he was later executed for it. 

Reason Two: Valentine was jailed for helping Christians escape Roman prisons where they were beaten and tortured, and when he was imprisoned himself, the first “valentine” was sent after he fell in love with a young girl and signed the letter “From Your Valentine.”

In modern times, Valentine’s Day is celebrated by traditionally giving significant others gifts like flowers, chocolate and heartfelt messages in a card. Elementary school children often participate in Valentine’s Day parties where they exchange small cards and candy for the children in their class and their teacher. 

Proponents of the holiday, like myself, argue that the holiday is a celebration of all the different variations of love. Even if you don’t have a significant other, everyone has a best friend, family and a multitude of other people who love them and they love back. Additionally, Valentine’s Day does not require a whole lot of planning unless you have something like dinner reservations that are time sensitive. There’s no making a costume or preparing a fancy dinner for a million people. 

I understand the argument that Valentine’s Day isn’t great for people who don’t have significant others, but it is all about perspective. If you actively try to make Valentine’s Day horrible because you’re “forever alone,” it is going to be awful for you. Make it a priority to celebrate platonic love between friends and familial love with your family, and celebrate all your relationships, regardless if they’re romantic. You can also show yourself love by treating yourself to a favorite snack, gift or a moment of peace and quiet. You deserve it. 

Another argument I see is that people should be spreading love everyday, not just on a random day in February. With that logic, Thanksgiving shouldn’t be a holiday either because we should be thankful every day, not just some random day in November. 

Valentine’s Day is the best holiday because it reminds us to celebrate love, one of the most crucial aspects of life, in a world where love is often overlooked and we don’t give the people who are closest to us the love they deserve.

(The half priced candy in the days following isn’t a terrible thing, either.)