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Valentine’s Day is traditionally one of the most romantic days of the year, and it’s one of those holidays that tend to draw in singles as much as couples. However, certain no-nos exist regarding Valentine’s Day — things everyone should avoid doing at all costs. Whether you’re single or in a relationship, here’s everything you shouldn’t do on February 14.
1. Feel Bad About Yourself
It’s easy to despair on Valentine’s Day, so you should do whatever it takes to lessen your bad feelings about yourself. Whether you’re stuck in a dead-end relationship or haven’t been in a relationship in a while, it’s essential to maintain a positive mindset. There are 364 other days of the year when you can feel bad, so try to keep Valentine’s Day in perspective. If love isn’t in the cards this year, remember, there’s always next year.
2. Call an Ex
Are you ready to hear some bad news? Nothing’s gonna bring her back, man. You messed up that relationship in such an epic fashion that calling her will only make it that much easier for her to get a restraining order. Avoid calling your ex on Valentine’s Day. They’re in a happier place, far away from you and all your faults you have the gall to call “idiosyncrasies.” Let the past stay in the past and focus on the future. Think to yourself, “Who will be the next person I scar emotionally?”
3. Watch Sad Movies
It doesn’t matter if you’re in a healthy, loving relationship or have been single for years; watching sad movies on Valentine’s Day is a recipe for disaster. Contrary to popular belief, the holiday should be filled with happiness and excitement, and watching The Notebook (2004) for the fourth time with your significant other is the polar opposite. If you insist on enjoying a film, choose something lighter; Dumb and Dumber (1994) is always an excellent choice.
4. Attempt a Grand Gesture
Speaking of movies, doing your best impersonation of John Cusack’s character in Say Anything (1989) is one of the worst things you can do on Valentine’s Day. Fight the urge to make a grand romantic gesture toward the love of your life, whether they know who you are or not! While that kind of action can lead to forever love, a failed attempt might be the most embarrassing thing that’s ever happened to you. (Besides, where would you find a boombox in 2024, anyway?)
5. Propose
Don’t propose. It’s been done a million times before, and it’s entirely played out. Proposing on Valentine’s Day is like buying someone a new Lexus for Christmas — it looks good in a TV commercial. Besides, proposing is all about leveraging the element of surprise. Popping the question to your significant other will be far more impactful if they have no idea it’s coming.
6. Drink Too Much
If you drink too much already, you should stop using your perennially broken heart as an excuse to have a bottle of wine to yourself on Valentine’s Day. Imbibing too many adult beverages is never a good look. Use the holiday as an excuse to act classier than usual. Don’t embarrass yourself by setting your personal record for most beers consumed alone while reminiscing about your high school sweetheart. You’ll appreciate not having a hangover on February 15.
7. Eat at a Chain Restaurant
If you insist on celebrating Valentine’s Day with a night on the town, steer clear of chain restaurants. There’s nothing “romantic” about capitalizing on Applebee’s latest “2 for $20” promotion. If you have even one romantic bone in your body, you would’ve thought ahead and made a reservation at a more upscale establishment. While there haven’t been many relationships that began at the bar of a Chili’s, I can assure you many relationships have ended at the bar of a Chili’s.
8. Be Weird on Social Media
Valentine’s Day is an excellent day to avoid social media. I know it’s challenging, but fight the urge to post your usual weird stuff on Facebook and Instagram and give yourself a much-deserved day off from the mayhem. Let the ones truly in love and in healthy relationships post cheesy pictures and make laughably lame announcements on their social media pages. There will be a heightened focus on social media, so it’s best to lay low.
9. Have a Complain-Fest
It’s easy to arrange a gathering with you and your closest single friends in hopes of decrying all things Valentine’s Day and romance-related, but you’re better than that. Hanging out with people with the same disdain for the holiday may seem like the perfect way to blow off steam, but it’s a poor use of your time. Focus on the positives. If you socialize with a group, fight the urge to decry love and focus on topics that aren’t such a downer.
10. Give a Weird Gift
Keep gifts simple. Too many relationships are based on the gifts that both parties receive. That dynamic can quickly lead to bad blood. When purchasing a gift for your significant other, stick to the classics like jewelry or something thoughtful you know they had their eye on. Buying a “joke” gift wastes money, and you risk alienating yourself from your partner. Nobody wants that.
11. Confess Your Love to a Crush
Don’t use Valentine’s Day as an excuse to finally reveal your feelings to your crush. That plan is doomed to fail spectacularly. You don’t want to be the latest in a long line of creepy people who acted on their misplaced feelings by letting a stranger know they were into them. It never works out. If you cannot confess your love to someone, do it on a less drama-filled holiday.
12. Use Dating Apps
As someone who once made the mistake of firing up apps like Tinder and Bumble during one particularly lonely Valentine’s Day, I know too well the landmines people navigate. Dating apps are a minefield in 2024, and logging on to them on Valentine’s Day is a misguided attempt to find love. You will encounter countless weirdos, but no one is looking for something that resembles a healthy relationship. Stay far away.
13. Buy Heart-Shaped Gifts
Somewhere along the way, giving heart-shaped gifts to loved ones on Valentine’s Day became acceptable. Fortunately, those days are long gone. Buying heart-shaped gifts is one of the lamest ways to show affection to your significant other. It’s essentially saying, “I am a boring person lacking all creativity.” Your partner will infinitely appreciate a thoughtful gift if it doesn’t resemble a human body part.
14. Break up With Your Significant Other
Are you in a relationship you want to leave as soon as possible? You have a lot of company. However, remember your significant other’s feelings when pulling the trigger. A Valentine’s Day breakup will blindside them, and even if you know the relationship doesn’t have a future, you owe it to the person to let them down as gently as possible. Dumping them on the most romantic day of the year is not right.
15. Swear off Dating Forever
Valentine’s Day tends to mess with your mind because society shoves it down our throats every February. However, it’s essential to stay positive. Don’t swear off dating forever when Valentine’s Day rolls around. Everybody goes through rough spots with relationships, and millions of people deal with being alone during this particular holiday. You’ll return to the game soon enough, so consider this Valentine’s Day a rare day off.
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