When you were younger you probably looked forward to Valentine’s Day, and nowadays, you’re just glad to see it gone. The annual lover’s day isn’t as important as you’ve gotten older and jaded. If you’re single, you probably avoided the day like a disease.

I’m a hopeless romantic, I must admit, but I also know there are fewer of us than not. And you’re probably wondering why I’m serving up an article about Valentine’s Day four days after the holiday has passed. Consider it a consolation if you want, validation if you wish, or cheap advice… like the discounted Valentine’s cards and candy spending their last days on the Walmart shelf. You can consider this writing like those stuffed bears and heart-shaped candies – just as valuable as it would have been weeks ago, even if it’s 75 percent off right now.

Valentine’s Day is just a day, and an unnecessarily expensive one at that.

Did you know that Americans spend about $24 billion each year on Valentine’s Day? Think about the discounted stuff sitting on skid row at Walmart. They’re closeout items now, but when it was winking at you a few weeks ago it was probably up charged by 200 percent. You can bet stemmed roses are cheaper this week too!

Valentine’s Day didn’t start out all hearts and roses. It began as a celebration of martyrdom in the Catholic Church after the execution of Saint Valentine, who failed in his attempt to persuade Roman Emperor Claudis II to become a Christian. Claudius wanted Valentine to become a Roman pagan, but they just couldn’t see eye to eye. All kinds of embellishments of the legend followed, including one that states that Valentine performed a miracle, restoring a blind woman’s sight, and on the eve of his execution, he wrote the first Valentine card to her, signed “Your Valentine.”

And now you know. I just saved you more money on Valentine’s than Geico did on insurance. But what’s love got to do with it?

The first documented association of the holiday with romantic love is believed to have been in the 14th century when Chaucer wrote “Parliament of Fowls,” a dreamy vision of birds choosing their mates. Later, in 1400, “Charter of the Court of Love” became the first description of Valentine’s Day as an annual celebration. The charter, written by Charles VI of France offered a depiction of great celebrations of poetry, dancing, and festivities.

You can blame the British. The commercialization of the holiday began in Great Britain in the 18th Century, including a boon in production of paper Valentines and cards. Long story made short – by the time it got to the United States they figured out to make millions off of us. A century later, P.T. Barnum snickered and laughed out: “There’s a sucker born every minute!”

I’m not playing down Valentine’s Day. Like I said, I consider myself an old school romantic. I enjoy dinner dates, red wine, snuggles, hugs, and love in its many forms – I’m just saying there are 364 more days in the year when we can, and should, celebrate it. Cards and flowers are nice, but you really don’t need them to get your point across.

I’ll invoke the late, great Tina Turner who asked the immortal question: “What’s love got to do with it?”

I don’t have a problem with Valentine’s Day. There’s nothing wrong with having one day of the year to celebrate love; in fact, it’s a great reminder that we should celebrate it. But here’s my two cents worth – celebrate it all year and don’t waste your money. Tell her or him you love them with no expectations and for no real reason – just say it. Hug your friends and let them know they are special. Love is a blessing and one that we can all enjoy without breaking the bank on trinkets and candy. Romance is a wonderful thing, enjoy it all year.

What’s love got to do with it? Everything, but it shouldn’t cost a fortune to show it. There’s a holiday for everything now and Valentine’s Day is just one of them. Love should be celebrated every day.