A Plea for Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day means different things to different people. For many, it is a joyous day of connecting with the people they love. For others, it can be bitter, angry, or even sad. Regardless of personal feelings about it, Valentine’s Day remains central to American culture, and provides us a strong connection to what makes us great as a people. More than anything else, Valentine’s Day is about family, about sharing a meal with the people we love, and about remembering the things we are grateful for. It is a tradition which Americans must bind themselves to if we wish to retain our cultural values and morality.

When today’s young people think about Valentine’s Day, they may only be aware of it at the most superficial level, fantasizing about turkey, mashed potatoes, and apple pie. In the days of my youth, however, Valentine’s Day meant something more. Valentine’s Day was set aside for reflection, for thinking about the many gifts we have in this great country. And now, I can barely get my 17-year-old son to say thank you when I pass him potatoes across the Valentine’s table. Most kids his age probably don’t even know the story of St. Valentine coming to America on the Mayflower, let alone have an understanding of the significance of this event to our history and culture. Every year, my son asks me how many times he’ll have to “tell me that Valentine’s Day has nothing to do with being thankful or the fucking pilgrims” and my wife tells me I have “no understanding or awareness of the world around me”. And every year I realize with greater clarity just how much this country has gone astray. Modern, un-American values have no use for thankfulness or family, and sadly they are so widespread that even my own family is under their thrall.

You may call me an out-of-touch crank, but I call for an end to the consumerism surrounding Valentine’s Day and a return to the traditional holiday that represents the best this great country has to offer. And while we can all appreciate our Valentine’s Day turkey, we should always remember that what we’re truly thankful is our nation and each other.