Feb. 14  can be either the best day of the year or the absolute worse. For the lucky ones who find themselves with a special someone during this holiday, it is all pink candy hearts and red roses. However, how can those who are single and ready to mingle participate in this day of love?

Valentine movies all portray a cliche love stories that some teenage girls can only dream of. Take the Notebook, for example. The guy falls in love with the girl at first sight and he does whatever he can to be with her until they literally die together. Isn’t that precious? Sounds a lot like the plot line of many chick flicks and the movie Endless Love that is in theaters Valentine’s Day.

So why do people make such a big deal about it? It would seem to make more sense for a couple to express their love more than just on that day, otherwise that would be tragic. Just going out on a dinner date doesn’t seem out of the norm or anything special, which is exactly how people should treat it. Sure it’s fun and giddy to find out your secret crush and be all sparkly and glittery for a day, but that’s no reason for single people to hate the holiday. It may seem like Single Awareness Day, but there are people everywhere that feel exactly the way you do.

This Valentines Day, you can go bowling with friends, go see a non-romantic movie, have baking contests, pass out valentines to random people, give out free hugs, kiss a friend for a free Qdoba burrito, and much more. Just because it’s “Cupid’s holiday” doesn’t mean that the love is only romantic. Love is in the air, so take this chance to share it to with a friend, family member, or a significant other.