Valentine’s Day can be great. The start of something exciting and new might happen, whether it’s asking out that cute guy or gal in lecture or maybe just even getting their number. Or, it’s a day celebrating a romantic relationship that’s already happening between you and your significant other. Traditionally, it’s a day dedicated to loving and appreciating someone you fancy.

Well, what about the rest of the students on campus? For some, Valentine’s Day is nothing more than a reality check that we’re alone.

But before all the singles out there start resenting the happy couples around them, there might be some solace in stagging it out on this holiday.

The Daily Illini Editorial Board stresses that Valentine’s Day should no longer be viewed as a day solely about couples and relationships. It’s 2019, and students here at the University can make it about whatever they want it to be. Everyone wants to feel loved and appreciated, but it doesn’t mean students necessarily need someone there to do it for them.

Students can celebrate loving themselves and think about how much money they’re saving by staying single. Other students might celebrate by calling family and close friends, or even throwing a get-together. Students who have significant others (or soon will!) can celebrate the holiday as it’s traditionally been celebrated, too.

New pop culture traditions like Galentine’s Day (based off an episode of “Parks and Recreation”), an unofficial holiday where women celebrate their love for their best girlfriends, are coming into the spotlight. On social media platforms like Twitter and Instagram, users might feel more inclined to post memes about being alone — and how they actually enjoy it. If you’re valentine happens to be your pet cat or the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (yes, the campus itself), The Daily Illini Editorial Board has no quarrel with that.

No matter which way you go about celebrating Valentine’s Day, keep in mind it’s a holiday for everyone. It’s not a reminder to despise every couple you see walking down Green Street, nor is it an opportunity to flaunt to others how madly in love you are with your significant other.

Valentine’s Day can be something entirely different of what it traditionally is. Candle-lit dinner dates and a bouquet of flowers for your partner sure is nice, but who’s to say we can’t do these things by ourselves?