It’s a jarring feeling to have barely taken off your Happy New Year’s hat before walking into any retail store in the United States to find what appear to be Cupid’s entrails dangling off every shelf. Balloons plastered with “love is in the air” whacking you in the face on your way to the produce aisle, teddy bears hugging hearts emblazoned with ‘I love you’ glaring at your back as you squeeze past the furniture. We’ve been fed for so long the narrative that with gifting, it’s the thought that counts. Then why has the modern Valentine’s Day seemed to have removed all actual thought from the sentiment?

There is something uniquely beautiful about a holiday that exists solely to celebrate love, particularly romantic love, being warped until “be mine” becomes “buy me” and “soulmate” turns into “spend more.” It’s questionable whether Valentine’s Day is about love at all, or simply a means to prove it through consumerism. Gestures of love are not limited to the inescapable reality of chocolate and candy hearts, and a celebration of love does not need to transform into a billion-dollar business. The romantic appeal of the holiday is lost to a more materialistic one; it’s worth asking if there is any real basis to Valentine’s Day without the emphasis on gifting and spending– if the holiday would even be acknowledged if it were not a target of heavy marketing and campaigning.

If Valentine’s Day is meant to honor love, it should serve as an accurate representation of the feeling: a day of intimacy, authenticity and genuine appreciation for your partner, rather than a day for chocolate, card and gift manufacturers to make a quick buck. The irony of celebrating the holiday the same way we did as children, passing around candy and handmade valentines to the class seems counterintuitive and quite nearly pretentious; gifting for the sake of gifting has removed all sincerity and all intention behind the gift, which is not a new concept in our society, but should be one that we reevaluate.

It’s the same idea behind “Moulin Rouge” and “The Notebook” being gorgeous and swoon-worthy, whereas Hallmark movies are my sources of comedic relief after a long day. Depictions of love as a theme are inherently pretentious, rather than something you feel and show, not through affectionate tokenism, but through a sincerity of thought and selflessness that don’t warrant the perceived responsibility of gifting a rose or candy.

In short, Valentine’s Day has faced the same affliction of commercialization that nearly every other holiday has, especially in America. Perhaps there are ways to appreciate its lighthearted superficiality as a playful, uncomplicated interpretation. But Valentine’s Day has potential as a celebration of relationships, of your partner, and of romantic love, for all its intricacy and depth. Valentine’s Day has the potential to show that the real gifts of the day are not the jewelry or chocolate or restaurant reservations, but the special people in your life who make it that much more beautiful.