I like (love) you a lot

It’s February, and a quick glance at the grocery store checkout line will tell you what big holiday is next. Valentine’s Day is easily one of the most commercialized holidays of the year. Don’t believe me? According to the U.S. Census Bureau Web site, 180 million Valentine’s cards are distributed each year. That’s not even counting the vast number of e-cards that will surely be in every American’s inbox come February 14.

Do a quick google search and you’ll soon discover that Valentine’s Day actually began as a Catholic holiday to celebrate two Christian martyrs.

Some sources say Valentine’s Day was named for a bishop who secretly held marriage ceremonies without Claudius II’s approval. The Roman emperor had outlawed marriage out of fear that his soldiers would not want to leave behind their wives and go to war.

Like Easter and Christmas, this once-religious holiday was shoved into generic commercialization. Nothing says “I love you” more than a $3 Hallmark card and a box of chocolates. Perhaps I’m just a bit more cynical than the average person, but I find this holiday to be truly irritating.

Even as a child, I was never thrilled with the holiday. My friends would give me Valentine’s cards and I would quickly open them, anticipating something interesting and heartfelt inside. Instead, I always seemed to find”Happy Valentine’s Day” with nothing but a signature beneath.

In high school, the cards got a little more interesting. Especially the one from my first boyfriend who crossed out “I like you a lot” and replaced “like” with “love.” Perhaps it would have been more heartfelt had it not been on a Garfield pop-up card.

Every year I find myself ranting about this holiday, threatening to puke up pink and red confetti.

Yet, for some reason, this holiday is extremely popular. Just ask any florist. Everywhere you go, hearts, chocolate and flowers are flourishing.

And each year, the divorce rate goes up. Out of 1,000 Americans, 3.5 are divorced, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention Web site. Perhaps this has something to do with the fact that we only show our love for each other once a year. And even then, Hallmark says it better than we can.