Valentine’s Day, the day to celebrate your love for someone special or a close friend, is a romantic holiday celebrated all across the globe, but it seems as if Valentine’s Day is becoming a commercial holiday. Each year, the dollar amount spent by Americans on Valentine’s Day is climbing slowly. For instance, in the past two years, the total amount of money spent for this holiday increased by approximately $2 Billion. 

According to the National Retail Federation, American consumers are reckoned to spend around $26 Billion this Valentine’s Day. 

This prestigious day has devolved from honoring Saint Valentine and commemorating romantic love to a day where spending excessive amounts of money is considered to be a necessity to celebrate.

Not only did Valentine’s Day become a lucrative day for many companies, but society has created standards that include extravagant dinners and priceless jewelry. With these outrageous standards comes the risk of relationships being broken. 

The leading cause of such standards have been caused mainly by social media. Various couples compare their day with other people’s on social media, leading to lots of stress from the high expectancy or doubt on what they have prepared. With these unachievable standards, it seems as if Valentine’s Day has become a superficial holiday rather than a beautiful day to celebrate and commemorate the emotion of love.