Hurry, there are only seven shopping days left before the big day! Rush out to the stores and buy everything you will need to celebrate Hallmark’s favorite holiday, Valentine’s Day!

OK, I might be overreacting a little. I really don’t think Hy-Vee is going to run out of little Valentine cards or teddy bears anytime soon. Still, that doesn’t change the fact — we should be buying them.

Now, don’t roll your eyes just yet. There is a reason why I’m endorsing this shamelessly over-hyped, over-marketed day where chocolates and perfume are the key to any girl’s heart.

Every time someone brings up Valentine’s Day, there are going to be skeptics who claim to hate it. They’ll attack the day’s credibility as a real holiday, claiming that its sole purpose is to convince people they need to spend money or that people shouldn’t have to prove their affection by giving each other knickknacks.

Of course, I know there are a couple of people who really feel this way, but let’s be blunt — the majority of people who allegedly hate Valentine’s Day hate it because they can’t participate.

That’s where they’re wrong.

Before I get into why Valentine’s Day is a day everyone can enjoy, let me establish why I actually don’t mind this holiday. First off, I should say I have never had a girlfriend on Valentine’s Day. That means I have spent every single Valentine’s Day for the past 20 years completely single — and I can still stomach it.

I guess that’s tough to admit without sounding like a complete fool, but it’s true. As a kid whose favorite color is pink and who has a tattoo of both a heart and the word “love,” maybe I’m just better suited for Valentine’s Day than the average person. I can honestly say that pink heart decorations on the walls actually put me in a good mood instead of disgusting me like Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas decorations do.

My advantages aside, the real appeal of Valentine’s Day for me is the concept of celebrating a day where we celebrate our relationships with each other. It’s the one day where we have an excuse to remind people how we really feel about them.

Let’s not forget that the noble part of Valentine’s Day isn’t in the overpriced card or partially dead rose — it’s in the act. The act or thought of Valentine’s Day is where the day’s true greatness lies.

But don’t be tricked into thinking you can’t express your affection for someone without a gift — the beauty of affection is expressing it through actions, not presents. Why should it be that a card can say “I Love You” better than we can ourselves?

When I say express affection, I don’t only mean affection toward a girlfriend or boyfriend, either. Why not use the day as an opportunity to send out a card to a parent or grandparent and remind them how we feel about them?

So, granted, there are crummy parts about Valentine’s Day, but there a good parts as well. We could sit back and complain about how much we hate it, how much it costs or how unfair it is that we haven’t found that special someone. In reality, though, it’s going to happen year after year, so we might as well get used to it, because if we can make the day positive, dreary February will seem a little brighter.