Ah, the simplicity of our Valentine’s Days of elementary school. We’d eagerly sign our little Valentines, one for each classmate. On the big day we’d self-consciously drop one in each construction-paper pouch taped to a desk. And we looked forward to opening the ones dropped in ours. Sometimes there would even be sucker or candy tidbit attached. What a primo treat.
As adults, we’ve learned how to up our game, if we’re among the 55 percent of Americans who say they celebrate the holiday. Love or loath Valentine’s Day, it’s hard to deny its impact on wallets. With a projected $19.6 billion to be spent on it this year, Feb. 14 becomes the country’s third-largest consumer holiday, according to wallethub.com.
“Roughly 45 percent of people expect their Valentine to spend at least $50 on a gift, according to WalletHub’s 2018 Valentine’s Day Survey, ” said John S. Kiernan, WalletHub senior writer and editor, in a Feb. 5 article.
The survey revealed some other interesting figures:
Reducing Cupid’s holiday to numbers may seem pretty unromantic, but the figures do offer an illuminating glimpse into human behavior. Valentine’s Day is an occasion to celebrate those we care about, so don’t miss an opportunity to express it, no matter how simply, by word or deed. The world could always use a little more love.
Jan Swoope is the Lifestyles Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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