By Mary Kate Krueger
Valentine’s Day is the holiday of love. Love can be expressed meaningfully through acts of service, verbal affirmations, physical touch, and gift-giving. For many Americans, love is expressed through gift-giving — from cheap, mass-produced goods to luxurious jewelry.
Centuries ago, Valentine’s Day originated as a Christian feast to honor a martyr named Saint Valentine. Now, Valentine’s Day is celebrated with mass consumerism, materialistic expressions of love, and heightened energy production to mass-produce products.
A holiday designed to express love to our friends, families, and significant others is gradually being destroyed by overconsumption and excessive spending.
In a materialistic society, we are naturally conditioned to participate in mass consumerism, especially on major holidays. Not only is it in our nature as Americans, but it is also inescapable. Every grocery store and retailer has a Valentine’s Day section with heaps of plastic and nonbiodegradable materials.
According to the National Retail Federation, Americans spent $25.9 billion on Valentine’s Day in 2023. This number is only planning to increase this year, with revenue estimated to be around $27.5 billion in 2025.
While the action of gift-giving is not essentially problematic, the relentless drive of consumption is. Not only is the ultra-consumerism of Valentine’s and other major holidays detrimental to the environment, but mass corporations also profit from Valentine’s Day sales, leading to the rise of corporate profiteering.
Large corporations are making marketing efforts to pressure individuals into buying expensive products for their loved ones on Valentine’s Day. Individuals may feel more compelled to spend excessive amounts of money to fit into the cultural expectations during holidays.
The industries that profit the most from Valentine’s Day are the candy industry, the florist and flower industry, the hospitality and restaurant industry, and the clothing and jewelry industry. The most expensive of these is the clothing and jewelry industry.
According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the clothing and jewelry industry is expected to see record spending of $6.4 billion and $3 billion in sales this holiday.
Mass consumerism on Valentine’s Day also has significant environmental effects. According to Plastic Oceans International, Feb. 14 alone represents an increase of 9 million kilograms of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, plus everything normally produced in a day.
Essentially, Valentine’s Day both spikes the economy and the amount of CO2 released into the atmosphere. This mass production takes away from the true meaning of the holiday.
Excessive consumerism on holidays builds the belief that love can be proven through expensive gifts and material possessions rather than authentic connection.
Now, after examining the environmental and economic effects of this holiday, what can we do to keep the spirit of Valentine’s Day alive?
Simple acts like handwritten notes or spending quality time can be much more meaningful than excessive gift-giving. While the world around us tells us to keep spending and consuming, we can take a step back and see the true beauty of our relationships without the price tag.
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Valentine’s Day gift. Photo courtesy of Mira Bozhko miroslava, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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