Valentine’s Day is a great excuse to shower the ones closest to you with love and appreciation. However, in a time where getting close to people is frowned upon, people participating in the holiday might have to get a little creative. 

Due to COVID-19 the traditional Valentine’s Day festivities may be a little harder to pull off than normal. Whether they are in a committed relationship, single, or on the more complicated side of love it seems UWF students were quick to discuss the up and down sides of Valentine’s Day this year. 

First off, money seemed to be a common topic amongst our students when discussing Valentine’s Day. Money is tight for college students, a stereotype we all wish wasn’t true. But add months of being out of work to the long list of contributing factors and money becomes tighter than ever. 

COVID-19 put a lot of us out of work so buying extravagant gifts or treating each other to a fancy dinner might be too rough on our pockets to even consider.

“My boyfriend and I were both put out of work for the whole summer,” senior Hailie Mondoux said. “We are both trying to play catch up with our funds, so we plan to do something meaningful but inexpensive this year.” 

Many students saw this change in tradition as a good thing. Sarah McQuiggan, a junior majoring in musical theatre, got to talking with me about the effects these stay-at-home Valentine’s Day dates could have on relationships in the long term!

“At home there’s tons to do and people feel more comfortable there,” McQuiggan said. “I think it gives people a chance to spend more time doing things they love with the people they love.”

On the other hand, some student’s feud with Valentine’s Day starts way ahead of the date planning stage. Taylor Hoffman, a senior majoring in communications, talked about how meeting new people during COVID-19 has been hard.

“I only stay around the same people now,” Hoffman said. “This way I know I’m keeping my friends and I safe.” 

In person events, especially on campus, have been put on pause for the sake of our community’s health. Popular spots off campus like bars and clubs downtown remain open but some students are more hesitant to jump back into the party scene than others. 

Be that as it may, most of our student body seemed happy with their Valentine’s Day plans. For most students like Daryl Pickerell, their Valentine’s Day looks the same as it did before COVID-19. 

“I don’t think Valentine’s Day with Frannie will look any different,” Pickerell said. “Last year I built a fort with star lights and I plan on doing the same this year.” 

Heartwarming stories of our student body’s plans on the intimate holiday show we are making the best out of our unfortunate situation with COVID-19. Whether you spend the holiday with your significant others, friends, or decide to indulge in some self-care we hope you spread all the love and none of the germs!