Editorial Board | Echo
Every year, Valentine's Day comes and goes, a holiday people celebrate with their significant other. Couples who have spent years together and those just beginning their relationships come together and tell each other what they mean to the other.
This holiday can be expensive but there are ways the cost can be limited and still be celebrated with the person you love.
Bill Ringenberg, professor of history, has been married to his wife Becky for 50 years. He thinks of Valentine's Day as a day that should always be celebrated, because it is the day where we celebrate our human love.
"Valentines Day (Human Love) is one of the best reminders that we find more fulfillment in giving love to other humans than in saving it all for ourselves," Ringenberg said.
Instead of jewelry and candy, his wife prefers a dinner with her husband. This year, they will attend a Seniors Valentine Dinner.
Carie King, assistant professor of English, believes it doesn't take money to remind a person you love them, but it does take effort. She and her husband Dan have been married for 20 years and were engaged on Valentine's Day. A walk together, flowers or dinner in the DC is valued on this day.
Linda Taylor, assistant professor of professional writing, is a fan of celebrating the little things as they come with her husband Tom. She believes the purpose of Valentine's Day is to be together and celebrate the relationship.
This doesn't mean Feb. 14 doesn't hold anything special for the two, however.
"We always exchange cards, Taylor said. "One thing I started to do a few years ago just for fun is to purchase a box of kid valentines … I tape them up where my husband will see them on Valentine's Day (bathroom mirror, microwave), and I also hide them in places (like coat pockets or in his drawers or books) so he can keep finding them even in the coming days."
Senior and newlywed Kristen van Gilse agrees with keeping Valentine's Day small. In fact, for her first Valentine's Day with her now husband senior Nick van Gilse, she went out with someone else.
"We were interested in each other back in February of 2016, we attended a weird 'singles mixer' together hosted in the dorm room of my friend (Elyse Horb), but didn't go out for a Valentine's date because we hadn't expressed our feelings for each other," Van Gilse said. "I ended up going to dinner with Elyse on Valentine's Day."
Budget is a factor in the couple's first married Valentine's Day and they plan to cook a nice dinner together and give each other gifts within a price range.
The editorial board agrees with the sentiments brought to light by couples who are newly married and have had their share of Feb. 14 celebrations together. Although Valentine's Day is a wonderful time to express the love you have for your significant other, it can be cost efficient. It is about the time spent together and the relationship shared.
