In “Ask A&C,” University of Mississippi students ask questions about university and Oxford life and members of the arts and culture writing staff answer with their personal takes. This week’s question is: “Is Valentine’s Day a real holiday or just an opportunity for candy and greeting card companies to make a profit?”

Simone Bourgeois

Valentine’s Day is definitely a real holiday. I agree with the criticism that it is commercialized, but like any holiday, it is what you make it. In my opinion, it is never a bad time to appreciate those that you love, in whatever form that may be. I will jump at any chance to celebrate love and friendship, and having a holiday dedicated to just that can be something special.

P.B. Jernigan 

Personally, I enjoy Valentine’s Day. I like the idea of having a day to celebrate affection for friends, family and partners. I think Valentine’s Day is a real holiday, though in the contemporary it has been heavily commercialized. I can understand the dislike towards it, but I think there is a way to enjoy the holiday without a significant other. You can celebrate with friends or family — or even treat yourself to something special.

Alana Brown-Davis 

Valentine’s Day is most definitely a holiday, especially when you look at the historical context of it with St. Valentine and the work he did to spread love through his faith. He would marry couples so that the husbands would not be forced to go to war. Valentine’s is also one of those holidays that allows people to reconnect with their loved ones and is sort of like a Thanksgiving for couples.

Lydia Waters

I think Valentine’s is a real holiday. The world deserves to celebrate love — even if it is not romantic. Platonic love, such as friendships and family, should be celebrated, too. Valentine’s is a good reminder of the people that bring joy in our life, and I think that is very important.

Jane Dunn

Even though love should be celebrated every day, I think it is sweet that there is one day dedicated to it. With so much negativity in the world, having a day that is all about love, appreciation and kindness feels like a nice break. Whether it is for a partner, friends or family, it is just a good excuse to remind people you love them. And let us be honest, the flowers and chocolate do not hurt either.

Sydney Stepp

I like the idea of Valentine’s Day as a way to celebrate loved ones, but I think in recent years it has tilted more toward capitalistic gain as opposed to sticking to its origins of a traditional feast day of St. Valentine. I also think that if we truly love the people we are celebrating, we should show them love every day of the year — not just on Valentine’s Day. So yes, Valentine’s Day is a real holiday, but I think it has been blown out of proportion from what it was originally meant to be.

Claire Reynolds

I think Valentine’s Day serves an important purpose in reminding us how we should live our lives everyday. Much like Independence Day, Earth Day, Christmas and all of the other holidays Hallmark would write a card for, the day itself represents a value we should always prioritize in our lives. While of course the day is now associated with the stress of finding the perfect gift or worrying about whether your status with someone deems a gift necessary, I think the celebration itself is legitimate. Furthermore, I am thankful for social deviance from the romantic aspect of the holiday by the popularity of things such as “Galentine’s Day” or shelter dog adoption events to find other ways to celebrate love.