You’re Invited to my Valentine’s Day Party!
By Gracie Korbert with art by Alex Kozak
Ms. Gracie Kibort and Wake Magazine formally request the honor of your presence to celebrate the holiday of all things warm and fuzzy this Tuesday, February 14th. All will share romantic and platonic love, and libations will be served—reception to follow. RSVP ASAP.
Valentine’s Day, albeit a personal favorite of my own, is a polarizing holiday for many. Whether you believe it’s a capitalistic ploy to vend greeting cards and hardened chocolate, were emotionally maimed by your high school boyfriend or shower your significant other in gifts galore, the opinions are dichotomizing. If you’re a hater of all things V-day and have sworn off dating altogether, I will commiserate with you to your heart’s content (see what I did there?)
But hear me out! Deep in your cynical chamber of incredulity, I commend you to forage for a positive V-day mem from yesteryear. Surely you have not always felt this blackened and bitter? (If so, you still have my utmost support). Ah-ha! Suddenly, the sugary stench of conversation hearts hits your nose! There’s your Sketchersshoebox-turned-mailbox you were so very proud of. You feel the abrasiveness of the construction paper hearts, and recall the faint rustling of Snoopy-themed Valentines you spent all afternoon slaving over for your classmates in your backpack. Sweetheart, you’re back in your third-grade classroom. Good news my sweet misanthrope, the hardened candy shell of your cold heart has begun to crack!
As we meander our way into adulthood, we often feel like something is missing. We grapple with our sense of self, our true identities. I’m not the first person to advise you to appeal to your inner child when searching for ways to find joy, and I won’t be the last. However, if you find yourself aimlessly searching for fulfillment but it is nowhere to be found, ask yourself what truly brought you joy as a kid. Of course, this could pertain to a plethora of activities, but per the topic at hand, start simple. I'm all for a seasonal arts and crafts session, love songs and homemade brownies, and even some ice skating. It’s a longer list than you might think.
Carrie Bradshaw said it best “Maybe our girlfriends are our soulmates and guys are just people to have fun with.” We often neglect our friendships, focusing rather on our romantic prospects instead of the love right in front of us. Platonic love is sacred and beautiful and gets forsaken this time of year. But as I guide you back to the linoleum floor of that third-grade classroom, recount your excitement to disperse your punny Valentines to your pals. Snoopy would go to Ally, Charlie Brown to Emily, and you’d definitely give Lucy to Catherine. Celebrating our friendships was innate to our identity. Replaced by bitter dread when the seasonal section shifts to flushed hues of cerise and vermillion as January strikes, at what point did this feeling of platonic adoration and doting for February 14th evaporate? At some point between elementary school and adulthood, we fall victim to the impression that Valentine’s day is only for the coupled. If we revert back to our thinking prior to the false notion that one must feel lonely if they aren’t in a relationship on the 14th, it's a day to remind your people that you love and care for them and to wear lots of things with hearts, which I am all for. At the very most it’s an opportunity to give people sappy, soupy, Snoopy Valentine's cards and heart-shaped tchotchkes and reap the reward of making your people smile. At the very least, it’s telling someone they make you glad they’re here and eat a bunch of candy. All we have are our own little worlds, we might as well share some chocolate with a friend. So I hope you’ll make it to my Valentine’s Day party sporting your best pink getup; and not just because you’re single, bitter, and I feel a bit bad, but because the elated little kid inside of you deserves some air every now and then to experience some love, too.