When people think of Valentine’s Day, they generally fall into one of three camps:

• The Haters - “I HATE Valentine’s Day. It’s a greedy corporate holiday designed to sell products and make people who aren’t coupled up feel lesser than.”

• The Indifferent - “I don’t care about Valentine’s Day. February 14 is just another day on the calendar as far as I’m concerned.”

• The Hopeless Romantics - “I LOVE Valentine’s Day! Chocolate, candy, cards, flowers bring it on!”

When I think about my own feelings towards Valentine’s Day, I’m always conflicted. Out of those three categories, I’d say that I fall somewhere in-between (a soft answer, I know, but ‘tis true).

I love a day dedicated to love - one of the most important, if not THE most important, human emotion. Love is a weighty word, uniquely felt by each and every one of us. What’s not to like about that?

On the other hand, the commodification of love and how the holiday targets “couples” is getting outta hand. The stereotype of a single girl or guy sitting at home all forlorn on Valentine’s Day (you can probably picture this exact scene from just about every rom com) really grinds my gears.

Romantic relationships, in my opinion, are given WAY too much attention and credit in our world. Sure, they’re great and all (don’t get me wrong!!!) but the relationships you have with your friends, family, yourself etc. are all just as valuable and worthy of celebrating.

So when it comes to V-DAY, I like to approach it by giving attention and love to ALL of the relationships in my life (including MYSELF! “Self-care” and “self-love” are starting to become commodified terms in themselves so I’m trying not to use them as often, but I’m all for the underlying meaning!) Any extra excuse to tell the people in your life that you love them, I am all about.

I know some nay-sayers argue that you should tell/show people you love them EVERY DAY, which is true, but I don’t think there’s anything wrong with a little gentle reminder. Everyone gets caught up in the daily chaos of their own lives and schedules, so if February 14 is one day a year that makes you pause and say out loud how you feel about the people you love, why not take it?!

Ideal Valentine’s Days for me: cuddled up on the couch, candle burning, glass of red wine, making my way through my TBR (To Be Read) pile of books, hanging out with my sisters, eating heart-shaped gummy candy and watching Harry Potter, opening V-Day cards and having dinner with my parents, going out for tacos and margs with my boyfriend (not necessarily because it’s Valentine’s Day, but because Thursday is date night) — all of these are equally amazing ways to celebrate LOVE in my life.

However you choose to celebrate tonight, do whatever makes you feel happy and loved — don’t let anyone else (especially Instagram) dictate how you think you should feel.