As the lovey dovey time of year comes and goes, a common thought comes along. Although the chocolates and love notes are greatly appreciated by us girls, and the extra PDA is appreciated by the guys, most of us stop to wonder, why do we celebrate Valentine’s Day?

According to History.com, there is a legend behind this holiday. The legend sais that a “patron saint” was a priest in the Roman times. The patron (Valentine) defied Emperor Claudius’ decree that all young men could no longer marry. He did so by performing marriages for young couples that were in love. However, when the Emperor found out, Valentine was put to death.

Another legend goes that Valentine died trying to help civilians escape from prison. When he was in prison, he sent the first official “Valentine” to his true love who visited him there. In the letter, he used the expression “From your Valentine” which is something that is still used on cards for this holiday today.

The list of stories goes on and on but one truth remains. Valentines day is a time to appreciate the people we love. We are more fortunate than those in Valentine’s time. We have the ability to walk around our school hand-in-hand with the person we love. So guys, don’t stress out about finding the “perfect gift” because just being with your girl will be enough. And girls, we need to remember that this is a day to celebrate love, not get some cheap chocolate and flowers that will die in a week. Remember what Valentine wanted, for everyone to be able to love.