Love is in the air, and since Valentine’s Day is upon us, high expectations are too.
In rare cases, the romantic holiday can mirror Christmas as the leading day of gift giving.
Since the 19th century, men and women have been spoiling each other with romantic offerings on Valentine’s Day.
However, in 21st century there has been a significant spike in extravagant gifts being given.
Valentine’s Day is the holiday of love and for many it is the holiday where expectations can run extremely high or vaguely low.
“Expectations are the leading lady in most of Shakespeare’s comedies, naive and horny. If you love me, love me everyday, not just on one specific day. It is a nice gesture, but I would rather you just hang out with me and watch movies at the house,” said Britney Jackson, a senior english major.
Sophomore nutrition major Alex Villalobos understands when expectations from long relationships conspire, but not when the relationship is fresh.
“Most people expect a lot from their valentine even if they just met two weeks prior to Valentines Day. I do not agree with giving a person a gift if you are not in a long term relationship before that day,” said Villalobos.
Statistics show that Valentine’s Day brings in 17 billion dollars each year and the average 18-24 year old spends $145 on a beau.
Senior business management major Donna Edwards said, “My friend bought his girlfriend a whole Valentine’s Day package. He paid for her to go to the spa, a new hairdo, a pair of Jordan’s and five shirts.”
Many feel that the gift giving part can be a little one sided based on gender. The man occasionally gives the more elaborate gift than the woman.
“He did all that for her and she got him nothing at all. Boys do more while girls expect more,” said Edwards.
While materialistic offerings and outlandish romantic gestures seem to be what women expect on Valentine’s Day, men seem to expect another offering of a different sort.
“I just want to get lucky. You do not have to give me anything except that you know what. Men appreciate when a woman can take a gift and then give her body as a gift, that is all we expect on this holiday,” said senior electrical engineering major Marquel Thomas. No matter the case, Valentine’s Day is here to stay and as long as it is here it seems expectations of all sorts will be too.