Written by Britty Gist.
Celebrated with shades of pink and red, fresh flowers, chocolate-covered candies, sweet cards and warm hearts, Valentine’s Day is a day dedicated to showing love to those around us.
Valentine’s Day’s origin is rather blurry, including how it was established and to whom to give credit. However, St. Valentine, whichever one in history he may be, has given people all over the world a special day to simply be loved and present love in return, and many women on Harding’s campus have their own traditions, likes and dislikes when it comes to this holiday.
Junior Kathryn Wilkins said that she has always loved Valentine’s Day. Even as a young child, she said that she loved going to the store with her mom to get little cards and cookies for her classmates. Now, Wilkins is engaged, and said she still views Valentine’s Day as highly as she did as a child.
“I love being able to love people, and I like having people to care for,” Wilkins said. “It’s a great day, even if you don’t have a romantic partner.”
Senior Ashlyn Alexander said that she is rather fond of celebrating “Galentine’s Day,” which is observed on Feb. 13. She said she loves getting flowers and chocolates and watching “The Notebook,” but her favorite tradition is getting dressed up for dinner with one of her best friends since sixth grade.
“This year I think we are going to switch the tradition up,” Alexander said. “ We are going to relax, watch movies and eat ice cream this year, and I am so excited.”
Instructor of Kinesiology Christy Morgan has been married to her husband, Harding Men’s Basketball Coach Jeff Morgan, for 27 years and said that she has seen her fair share of different Valentine’s Day traditions in that time. Given that Valentine’s Day is during the peak of basketball season, she said she simply looks forward to having quality time with her husband on this day, no matter what that might look like.
“It’s just a day to show love to people no matter who it is, and I love that,” Morgan said. “We can never have enough of those days.”
