The Eternal Question: To Celebrate, or Not to Celebrate?

Whether you have a someone special or a someone that is sort of special, Valentine’s Day can put pressure on defining the relationship. Figuring out the type of gestures your personal situation merits on this celebrated day is often a stressful task, especially for those newly blossoming flings. This year, Valentine’s Day actually falls on a weekend, eliminating the option for any time restriction-based excuses to not celebrate (sorry, guys). 

The worst thing you can do is fail to acknowledge your someone (insert descriptive word here) on this day. This communicates that they are essentially a no one. Whether the rationale is fear of giving the wrong impression or embarrassment from going out on a potentially one-sided love limb, nobody deserves to be ignored on Valentine’s Day. This is a sure fire way to damage any chances for blossoming love and lose the respect of your special friend. And honestly, a simple message referencing the holiday is common courtesy.

Over the top, romantic paloozas are often reserved for couples that have firmly established their love and have set these types of exaggerated guidelines for Valentine’s Day. For the beginners, a simple card or message can be enough – it all depends on the individual’s situation. Some pairs talk about their expectations openly, others spend weeks sweating the looming day. No matter the scenario, ignoring it completely is the wrong direction to go in.

My advice, if you're at the point where celebrating is something that you want, discuss it with your partner - and fast. Be prepared to answer any “so what does this mean” questions that may come along with it. If you're at the point where the idea of spending Valentine’s Day together scares the pants off of you and you’ve been cowering in avoidance of any plan making, be sure to at least recognize the day. Doing so basically says, "Hey, I'm aware that we've been spending time together" (at its simplest).

And if you still can't find the right words to sum up your feelings (big or small), here are some casual, hilarious messages to help you out!

Ultimately, this weekend’s plans (or lack thereof) will be based on each person’s unique love, like, or “we just hang out” predicament. God speed.

Share your stories of past Valentine's Days gone awry, below!