My favorite color has always fluctuated and shifted depending on just about nothing at all. But as of right now, I’ve decided on pink. As I grow older, I seem to fall more and more in love with the rosy hue.

Lately, I’ve also noticed a bias towards anything and everything decorated with hearts, and the only explanation I can think of is ‘because they’re cute.’ So, in the mid-February slush, I become exhilarated by the hearts covering every store; each year, I become fonder and fonder of Valentine’s Day.

Although the only valentines I have ever received have been sent from my mom, my friends, and my elementary school classmates, I still feel a childish excitement within me as I see endless amounts of chocolates and flowers flooding the stores.

For some, everything I just described makes them want to throw up. Many people spend February 14th in despair, wishing they had a significant other to spend it with. And that’s perfectly fine. But, I believe that far too many of the people that are enveloped in feelings of loneliness don’t realize that they’re surrounded by many other forms of love.

Valentine’s Day shouldn’t be confined to a theme of only romantic love. The holiday is seen as a celebration of love, yet so many people who are loved by their friends and family feel isolated for no reason other than that they think they’re supposed to be. If you have no significant other when February rolls around, society says you have to feel lonely.

Naturally, I’m not the only person who’s considered this. ‘Galentine’s Day’ has become a popular tradition that takes place on February 13th. Galentine’s Day is similar to Valentine’s Day but it’s just for celebrating with your friends, or ‘gals’. While this is wonderful, why does it need to be a separate day? If Valentine’s Day is about love, people should be able to celebrate all of the love that they feel.

Go buy yourself flowers and chocolate instead of feeling lonely and appreciate the people you already have in your life. Or don’t buy anything, because the holiday is mostly a marketing strategy at this point anyway.

There’s also another approach taken by many, which is acknowledging that February 14th is just another day. The history behind it is rather boring, and it’s only kept alive for companies to profit off of the gift-giving. In simple terms, Saint Valentine was imprisoned and his execution was set for February 14th. He wrote a love letter to the jailer’s daughter that he’d fallen in love with, which is where the whole idea of sending people Valentines came from.

Whether you’re celebrating Valentine’s Day with a loved one or spending it alone, it shouldn’t be a holiday that’s celebration is exclusive to those with a significant other.