Well, it’s February again and that can only mean that Valentine’s Day is once again upon us.I don’t know about you guys but it’s a holiday I could do without. What are we supposed to be celebrating? If you’re single, it’s just a day to remind you of that fact, and if you’re lucky enough to be in a relationship, then it’s one more time, other than her birthday and your anniversary, to spend all your money to please her. Dinner and a movie doesn’t work for this day; it’s all about going in style, and for what?

We’re not celebrating pilgrims in the New World or Jesus’ birth. No, we’re celebrating the fact that Hallmark can make gushy love cards and that girls can be swayed by the cheesiest marketing around.

Now don’t get me wrong, I love holidays. I love sitting around eating as much as possible, exchanging gifts and hanging out with people I at least tolerate, if not love. I enjoy doing it if I know that the day has a good purpose, but where do historical or religious events dictate Valentine’s Day? I know there is St. Valentine’s Day, but, let’s face it, how often do people really consider saints and religion when you have hearts with words on them? It’s like some big shot thought to himself, “How can we up chocolate and card sales and make it seem like a legitimate holiday? Oh, I know, let’s attach a mascot that has nothing to do with any real aspect of the American culture.” And there we have Cupid.

Cupid hails from ancient Roman mythology, so what is he doing here? You can’t slap a beak on a dog and call it a bird.

And back to that big shot: How much work actually went into thinking up this thing? Christmas involves trees, wreaths, mistletoe and, oh yeah, a big fat jolly guy that delivers presents to nearly every kid in the world in a single night. Valentine’s Day involves absolutely nothing. If anything, it should just be love awareness day, such as Arbor Day and Earth Day. A day to make us more conscious of our natural surroundings.

But instead we’re saddled with a day that, if you’re in love, says, “Congratulations, now go out and spend all your money on her with the main objective of getting laid.” And, if you’re not, you get an entire day to sit back and realize that life must truly suck for you, because everyone who’s worth anything in life is chomping down on chocolate hearts and passing around love notes. You know what? If I want chocolate that bad, I’ll take Halloween any time.

Michael Dodd is a junior news-editorial journalism and radio-TV-film major from Myrtle Beach, S.C.